Half Demon Swordsman
by RaisingHeartSetUp
Summary: What if Serena had an adopted half demon sister as well as a teacher who actually made her take her responsibilities as Sailor Sun seriously? How much different would the story of the Moon Kingdom and their new fight be if just a small few things were changed for the better? OOC Asagi centric. Two chapters per episode. Somewhat a Naruto crossover.
1. What's going on?

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter One: What's going on?<p>

_Asagi_

It was an average day in the Tuskino household.

Serena woke up late as usual while I was up at dawn to practice my martial arts and meditate to control my demonic energy, I ate breakfast and took mine and Serena's lunches with me (so that she wouldn't eat it in class and Mom wouldn't get another complaint from our teacher Miss Haruna).

"Have a nice day Asagi," Mom called as I ran out the door. "Don't forget that Molly invited you and Serena over today after school."

"Thanks Mom!" I called back. "I'll see you after school. Oh, and I think Serena went back to sleep again. Just figured I'd warn you. And I don't think she studied for that last test either, so expect a bad grade." I faintly heard Mom sigh. She was probably going to yell at Serena.

I shook my head and ran faster (of course my school uniform didn't make that very easy to do, with the skirt and all. Man I hated that stupid thing). Along the way I saw a group of boys tormenting a cat and made them stop, and continued on my way, skidding to a halt in front of the school with practiced ease (while I was never as late as Serena, I was occasionally late).

"Hey Asagi!" Mine and Serena's friend Molly called. "Where's Serena?"

I shrugged. "Where do you think?" I asked as I opened the door and went in. "Last I knew, she was still asleep." Molly shook her head and sighed, but said nothing, used to Serena's bad habits (all umpybazillion of them) by now (although a few of the she only made worse). We walked in silence for a few minutes until we entered the classroom. I sat at my desk, trying to remember that strange dream I had last night.

Actually, now that I thought of it, it was the same dream I'd had since I could remember.

I was wearing a royal blue silk tunic and white rope belt. Strapped to my back was a golden sword shaped like a lowercase Q, as well as a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Standing beside me were six others dressed similarly, and they too had swords on their backs. One of the swords was downright _huge._ Like a freaking meat cleaver or something.

"Hey," Serena said gleefully as she walked into class. "Did you know the latest Sailor V game is out? I saw it on TV." I groaned. If Serena spent half as much time studying as she did playing video games and watching TV, she'd have straight A's. No joke.

"What you need Serena is more time studying, and less time watching TV." Miss Haruna scolded as she held up Serena's latest test, which, in large red numbers, clearly bore the number thirty. "There isn't any excuse for failing this exam."

"I failed?" Serena asked, clueless as usual. "How can _that_ be?"

I groaned. "Oh for the love of Kami." I muttered under my breath.

"Have your mother sign this and return it to me." Our teacher continued.

_After school_

"Aw chill out Serena, it's just one lousy test, it's not like it's the end of the world or something." Molly comforted as Serena moaned.

"You don't get it Molly," Serena whined. "If Mom finds out I failed a test, she'll ground me and cut my allowance, and then I won't get to play the new Sailor V video game."

I groaned. "Oh for the love of Kami, Serena." I sighed as I put my hat on to cover my pointed ears (I'd changed into regular clothes after school, since my school uniform was _so_ uncomfortable, and not to mention _impractical_). "There are more important things in life than playing video games you know."

"Such as?" My sister wanted to know.

I groaned. "Oh I don't know," I answered sarcastically. "Getting a good job. Being successful. Actually making something of yourself."

"Hey Serena!" Melvin called, interrupting me. I swore he was some sort of stalker. "I heard 'bout your test. Want me to be your tutor?"

"About as much as a toothache." Serena moaned.

"You're such a dweeb Melvin." Molly reprimanded. "She doesn't need a tutor she needs a trip to the mall to get her mind off this."

I groaned again. "Molly, you may be one of my good friends and Serena's best friend, but I think that's about the _last_ thing_ Serena _needs."

Molly ignored me and gasped. "Tell your mom you're at my house studying!"

"You're going _shopping?_" Melvin gasped. "What's more important than your grades?"

He held up his last test, which displayed a ninety five. "Look, I didn't study and I only got a ninety five. How will I ever be able to explain this to my parents?"

I groaned. _I would _kill_ to be able to not study and get a ninety five in Math!_ I complained mentally. _I think that ninety five is a perfectly respectable score, and he got it without even studying. Man this is _so_ not fair. Then again it might be different to his parents._

"Do we care?" Molly asked as Serena began wailing.

"Maybe he's right."

"We're going _shopping_." Molly comforted. "By the time you get home your mom will have forgotten all about that dumb test."

I rolled my eyes and snorted._ Not likely._

"Do you think so?" Serena asked hopefully.

"I know so." Molly answered proudly. "I saw some _major_ awesome boots on sale."

I groaned again. "Well count me out." I said and stood up to go make a call to Mom.

No, I wasn't going to tattle about their plans to go shopping when they were pretending to study, I was just going to inform Mom about Serena's test score. I loved my older sister dearly, but honestly, Mom probably wouldn't get as mad at her if she heard it now rather than later. I mean, I busted my butt studying, and I only got a eighty five on the test (although that could be because it was math, which was, admittedly, my worst subject). After dialing the school pay phone, I waited for Mom to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" She asked after a minute.

"Hi Mom." I said after making sure Serena wasn't around. "Just thought I'd let you know that what we were dreading actually happened."

Mom sighed on the other end. "She's planning to avoid me?"

I snorted. "Naturally." I replied dryly. "She and Molly are going shopping. If you want I'll go find them at the jewelry store."

"Just tell her that she's grounded." Mom said and that was all the answer I needed.

I grinned. "Got it. Love you. Bye."

_At the store_

"Come on, make me an offer!" Molly's mom shouted into a megaphone. Smirking, I remembered the latest American novel I'd read and finished, in which one of the main characters tweaked the coach's megaphone so that it alternatively made him sound like a Sith Lord or blurted out random things like 'the cow says moo.'

"Hey Serena." I called, allowing my smirk to grow wider.

My nee-chan sighed upon seeing me. "Asagi. You told her?"

"Of course. She says you're grounded."

"My mom's sure acting strange." Molly commented.

I raised an eyebrow. "How so?" Molly didn't answer.

"Today only, everything in the store is ninety percent off!" Mrs. Baker continued. Now that Molly mentioned it, her mom was acting weird. "Please feel free to try on anything."

I walked around the store, seeing if they had any jewels that I might like, which was mostly sapphires and garnets. Diamonds were okay, but they were vastly overrated.

"Something feels off about this." I said. I thought I saw energy being drawn into the jewels, so to confirm my theory, I placed my hand on one of them and pretended to feel it. Like I thought, my energy was pulled into the jewel. I jerked my hand back. I smirked deviously. "Oh it wants energy does it? Since it's feeding off humans, it probably wants spiritual energy, not demonic."

Long ago, I had discovered that I wasn't fully a human, but a half-demon, or as they were properly called, I was a Hanyo (it literally means half apparition, but it's the same idea). Of course, I'd never shared this with anyone, but afterwards I had learned to draw on both my spiritual and demonic energies. I closed my eyes and began to breath as my teacher, a man who was like my older brother not to mention a sadist, InuYasha, had showed me so long ago and placed my pointer and middle fingers on one of the jewels.

_Breathe in, and hold it for seven beats you little brat._ I heard InuYasha's voice when he first taught my friends and I to meditate. _Now breath out, and hold it for seven again. And no questioning me brats, or I'll have you doing pushups until your arms fall off._

Slowly and carefully so as not to mess up, I pulled my demonic energy into a small ball and shoved it into the gem, and it exploded.

"So," I muttered. "My theory was right after all. Just _what_ is going on?"


	2. The Silver Aura Of The Moon

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Two: The Silver Aura Of The Moon<p>

_Asagi_

Noticing that Mrs. Baker was looking, I jumped back and feigned surprise. "Oh I'm sorry Mrs. Baker." I apologized guiltily (not). "It just exploded on me."

"That's okay dear." She said. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. But how would you like this topaz and sapphire pendant? For you, for today only, it's only ten dollars."

I whistled. "Can't pass that up." I said and fished out my wallet. "Okay, here."

I handed her a ten dollar bill. She gave me the necklace, which was Artemis and Apollo's symbols in Greek mythology. Apollo's symbol was topaz, while Artemis's was sapphire, although where they joined it was garnet.

"Would you like a bag for it?" She asked.

I shook my head. "No, that's okay." I answered. "I think I'll just put it on now."

_After I rid it of whatever it is that sucks the energy out of you._ I added in my mind.

I put it on as I left the store and felt my spiritual energy being drained, but, by calling on my demonic energy and letting it mix with the spiritual energy being drained, and that effectively halted the drain.

"_I_ am a genius." I bragged to myself before dissolving into giggles.

"Why are you a genius?" One of my best friends and fellow half demon Moegi asked with a smirk from where she stood outside the store. "Is it because you managed to halt the draining of your spiritual energy?"

I beamed. "You guessed it. So you figured it out too huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I did. I bought this—" She held up her right wrist, which bore a bracelet made from emeralds. Moegi absolutely loved emeralds. "And it felt like my energy was being drained when I put it on."

"So then you managed to stop it like I did." I guessed, grinning. "Have you seen Shiori, Roku, Dai, Shion and Ai lately?"

Moegi half way shook her head. "I've seen Ai, just yesterday in fact, but I haven't seen the twins, or Shion or Shiori in a few weeks outside of class of course but that hardly counts."

Then our conversation was interrupted by Serena. "Oh, how can I tell Mom I flunked another test?" She moaned, seemingly have forgotten that I already told Mom about the test. She looked at her test again. "How can I show her this _thing?_"

She crumpled the test up and flung it backwards over her shoulder. I slapped my head as it hit a guy who had black hair and wore sunglasses.

"Hey, watch it, Meatball Head." He warned.

"Oh, sorry." Serena said, bowing in apology.

The guy raised an eyebrow as he looked at the test. "A thirty? Admirable." He said sarcastically. "Are you stupid, or just incredibly lazy?"

"I'd go with incredibly lazy . . . what's your name?" I asked.

"Darien." He supplied.

"Ah. Well Darien-san, I'd go with incredibly lazy." I told him, much to my older sister's chagrin. "Serena isn't stupid, and really could get better grades if she actually applied herself. Well, if she _wanted_ to apply herself anyway."

She scowled at me as she snatched her test back from Darien. She ranted about the nerve of Darien to call her Meatball Head. I would have to remember that one.

Darien removed his sunglasses as Serena left, revealing dark blue eyes. "Something about that girl." He muttered.

I looked at him. "What about my older sister, Darien-san?" I questioned.

Darien looked surprised. "You heard that?"

I nodded as I took my hat off. "My hearing is more sensitive than most people's is."

"You're a half demon." He realized as I put the hat back on.

I raised my eyebrows, shocked. "How did you know about that?"

He winked, making me blush. "Let's just say I know."

I shook my head as he left. "What is it about that guy that makes me feel like I know him?" I wondered aloud. "But where would I know him _from?_"

Shoving those thoughts aside, I headed for home, where I found Serena being interrogated by Mom. Mom wanted to know exactly what Serena got on her test.

"Hey Asagi." Mom greeted. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good." I answered. "You were interrogating Serena?"

"Right." She said. "So, let me see the test. I know you failed, now let's see it."

Serena shot me a glare.

I shrugged. "She'd find out one way or another." I reminded.

Serena sighed and handed Mom the test.

"Thirty?" Mom growled. "You said you studied. Know what you need?"

She pushed Serena out the door. "To go back to the library to study!"

_Later_

"Hi Serena!" I greeted when she came home. She trudged up to her room without saying a word. I followed her upstairs to go ready my latest American fantasy novel, The Alchemyst. I had read probably at least two chapters, when the window opened and shut itself again. I looked over. "Huh? I could have sworn I had that thing shut and locked." And then I saw the black cat I rescued earlier. "Oh it's just you little kitty. What are you doing here?"

"Why Asagi, I came to see you of course." The cat answered, much to my surprise. I was so surprised I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Who else?"

I rubbed my eyes. "A talking cat? Did I fall asleep sometime while I was reading?"

The cat held a paw in front of her mouth and cleared her throat. "My name is Luna, and I have been searching for you for a very long time."

"Huh?"

"You are one of the Chosen Ones, and _I_ have been sent here to guide you on the path to your ultimate destiny." Luna continued. "I wasn't sure if you really were one of the ones, but I've been following you since you saved me this morning, and now I'm absolutely sure. You are the one with the silver aura."

"Silver aura?" I repeated. "What does that mean?"

"Every person has an aura." Luna explained. "Sometimes, it's a solid color, sometimes, it's a lot of colors. However, a silver aura is one of the two rarest auras there are: silver, and gold. I sense that the golden aura-d one is near here."

"You probably mean my older sister Serena." I told her. "If I'm silver, she would definitely be gold."

"Regardless, your friend Molly is in big trouble." She informed me. She then proceeded to do a back flip, and a long sword appeared. It was shaped like a lowercase Q, had a silver blade, a golden hilt, and a diamond on the end that was only three quarters of the way formed. The curve of the hilt looked like it was made of wings, and there were two wings where the blade met the hilt.

"Take this, and shout Moon Prism Power." The cat instructed.

I blinked. "I'm still not sure I'm not hallucinating," I began. "But here goes something I guess. Moon Prism Power!"

Ribbons enveloped my body, forming a royal blue silk tunic, and a belt string as white as snow. My feet were bare, just the way I liked them. Resting over my eyes was a figure eight shaped mask, also white as freshly fallen snow. Strapped to my back was that same sword. My teal blue hair, as usual, was tied up into a high ponytail, with a white tie, and on my forehead was a golden tiara that had a red gem in the center.

I looked at myself. "Whoa, what happened?"

"You've transformed." Luna replied. "Into the Moonlight Warrior. One of the Seven Swordsman of the Moon."

I shrugged. "Not a bad title, though I ought to be called the half demon of the moon."

I stopped suddenly though, as I heard _Molly's_ voice coming from somewhere, pleading for help.

"That's Molly!" I realized. "I've got to help her. Luna, do you know a way I can get back to the jewelry store quickly?"

"Jump on the roof, and run." Luna replied. "It really works, trust me." She added at my skeptical look.

I shrugged. "Well, okay." I climbed out my window, jumped on the roof and ran to the jewelry store.

"Soon your kind will cease to exist," A monster laughed as it/she/whatever strangled Molly. "Once Queen Beryl unleashes the Negaforce she will destroy you all."

"Let her go." I demanded.

"What's that?"

"I said, let her go." I repeated angrily.

"And who are you?" It sneered.

I smirked. "I am the half demon swordsman who defends the innocent. When darkness falls and evil preys upon my home, I will be there, poised to strike. I am the leader of the Seven Swordsman of the Moon, the Moonlight Warrior, and I'll destroy you, because that's a promise by the moon." I declared, thrusting my right arm out beside me.

"Moonlight Warrior?" The monster scoffed. "Never heard of you, and I'm sure I never will again. Arise my children, and serve the great power that is the Negaverse!"

Everyone who had their energy drained earlier rose up like zombies and lunged at me. I did my best to avoid them, but at the moment, that was all I could do.

"Luna, what do I do? I don't want to hurt them." I said, but in my haste to dodge, I fell and scraped my already injured left knee.

"Oh ow." I said with a wince. "Why is always the _left_ knee?" I whined.

"Moonlight Warrior, what are you doing?" Luna reprimanded. "If you don't do something, the whole universe could be destroyed."

"Right, but, no pressure." I said sarcastically. They had me cornered against a pillar, and I couldn't hurt those people. They were completely innocent, and everything I'd ever read in comic books and what not told me that I couldn't hurt innocent people.

The monster reached out towards me, when suddenly, something slashed its hand. When it hit the ground I saw it was a _rose_ of all things.

"A rose?" I wondered aloud.

"Now who might you be?" The monster demanded.

I looked up to see a man in a billowing cape, top hat and tuxedo. A figure eight mask similar to mine rested over his eyes.

"_I_ am Tuxedo Mask." The man declared. "Moonlight Warrior, look into your heart, and find the solution to your problem. It is your destiny."

"My destiny huh?" I asked. "About two hours ago, I would have said you're nuts, but now I'm actually starting to believe you."

And then, not sure why, I put two fingers in my mouth and gave my famous earsplitting whistle, which seemed to be magnified by something.

Everyone covered their ears.

"Quickly Moonlight Warrior, throw your tiara, and then say 'moon tiara magic.'" Luna instructed. "And hurry."

"What good will that do Luna?" I demanded.

"Just do it!" She snapped.

I grumbled obscenities under my breath about cats who were too uptight for their own good, but none the less complied. "Moon Tiara Magic!"

My tiara hit the monster, and it began to turn to dust.

"I did that?" I asked, amazed.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" The monster declared.

I slapped my head. "Rule two of the badguy creed: when defeated, thou must always monologue to the goodguy about how they have not seen the last of thee." I grumbled, reciting a code I'd come up with when I was younger.

"You did well, Moonlight Warrior." Tuxedo Mask said with an amused smile. "Now Molly's mother and all the other women are free. Others will test you. Do not be afraid. I will fight with you. I promise, I'll remember this night, Moonlight Warrior. See you around."

I blushed as he swirled his cape and turned to leave.

"Are you alright Moonlight Warrior?" Luna asked, seeing me stare after him. "Speak to me. What are you looking at?"

I looked at her. "Nothing." I said with a smile. "I'm just fine. More than fine actually. Come on. Let's go home. That was one _exhausting_ fight."

And so with those words, I leaped onto the roof and ran home across the roofs.


	3. The Love Letter Trap

Half Demon SwordsmanChapter Three: The Love Letter Trap

_Asagi_

The next day at school I could barely keep my eyes open. The fight last night was so tiring. I had absolutely no energy. Mom actually thought I was sick, but I assured her I was just really tired for some reason.

"Hey, how come you're so tired?" Moegi asked me at lunch as I slumped over the table picking at my food, a sure sign something was wrong. "Could it be because _you_ were this mysterious Moonlight Warrior person from the jewelry store last night?" She teased.

I shot up from my slumping position, my eyes suddenly wide open. "How did you know Moegi?" I demanded.

Moegi's eyes widened. "I didn't. I was just teasing. It really _was_ you?"

I nodded. "Sure was." I replied. "Damn that fight was tiring. Seems like I'm a lot more tired than I should be."

"Need help?" She asked sympathetically. "It's probably like that first time we all tapped into our demonic energy at InuYasha-sensei's lessons."

I groaned. "Don't remind me. And yes, it'd be nice if you gave me a little help. You know, I'm thinking I should tell my mom about this."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Moegi warned. "If she knew, she might not let you. You _know_ what a worry wart she is."

I stroked my chin. "True, very true." I agreed. "Okay, so then help me think a good reason to give my mom then."

She thought for a few moments. "Got it." She leaned down and whispered it in my ear.

The rest of the day passed in a blur until I got home, at which point I gave Mom an improvised version of why I was so tired: I'd tapped into too much of my demonic energy in training with InuYasha-sensei (Mom and Dad knew all about me being a half demon, and they were the ones who'd signed me up for InuYasha-sensei's class, or as I liked to call it; torture with a purpose).

After I'd given Mom my improvised and basically false reason, I'd gone straight to bed after doing my homework and having dinner.

Unfortunately, I was awoken around midnight by the sound of Serena's radio.

"What are you _listening_ to?" I demanded as I poked my head into her room.

"Good evening all you night owls." A smooth voice said. "It's the midnight hour, and you know what that means. Time for, The Love Line."

I snorted and turned out Serena's light. "Good grief. If you're going to listen to such a _ridiculous_ program, at least close the door so that I don't have to hear it." I ordered and promptly shut her door so that I wouldn't have to hear it.

"You alright Asagi?" Luna questioned.

I nodded and climbed into bed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, not to mention kind of grouchy because Serena woke me up with that stupid show."

As is to prove my point, Serena said something about how it couldn't be Ms. Haruna, and about teachers never having boyfriends.

"Anyway, goodnight Luna." I told Luna, who curled up next to me. "I'll see you in the morning."

I almost laughed the next day when it turned out it _was_ Ms. Haruna. What stopped me though was that she was extremely tired for some reason. She kept stumbling everywhere.

"Anyone not present raise your hand." She ordered tiredly. "Now read chapters one to thirty five in any book you like and wake me after the final bell rings."

And then I saw her energy being drained by the flower she wore.

I'd have to talk to Luna about them.

Someone decided to call the medics when she passed out, so class was canceled.

"I've got a special project." Molly announced as we were walking home. "I'm gonna write the perfect letter so it'll be read on the Love Line."

I groaned. "Oh come on, not that stupid show." I moaned. "I don't see what the big deal about it is anyway."

"_You_ just don't understand romance." Serena told me before turning to Molly. "But you don't even have a boyfriend."

"Yeah I know." Molly said defensively. "I'm just gonna, invent one."

I shook my head, but remained silent, knowing that nothing I could or did say would change their minds. Personally, I blamed the stupid show for corrupting my sister and my friend's minds.

"That's so cool Molly. You could just invent the perfect guy." Serena gushed.

I groaned again. "I repeat: count me out."

"Handsome, smooth, totally cool," She continued, ignoring me. "Oof!"

Her lack of attention made her run straight into Darien.

She hastily apologized.

"Hey Darien." I said, confused. "What brings you here?"

"Oh not much." He replied and turned to Serena. "What's that you were saying about someone being 'totally cool?' Well we know it isn't you. And anyway, shouldn't you be going home to do your homework Meatball Head?"

"Don't call me that." She hissed through clenched teeth.

"Good grief, Darien." I sighed. "Do you take some sort of pleasure out of winding my sister up?"

He beamed. "You guessed it." And then he walked away to do whatever it was he was going to do.

"Hey Asagi!" Moegi called, surprising me. "I got Shiori and Ai, I thought we could work on our special project together at my house."

I grinned, knowing full well what she meant. "Okay!" I called back. "I'll be right over, I just want to grab Luna."

"Great. I'll see you there."

I raced home to find Luna. "Hey Luna, come on." I said. "I'm pretty sure that I've found the Negaverse's next scheme to gather energy."

"Really?" She asked, impressed. "That was fast. What is it?"

"That show my sister was listening to last night, called The Love Line. So my friends Moegi, Shiori, Ai and me are going to write letters to see if we can get it read on the air." I explained. "And if it is, they'll send us one of those flowers, and we can see if they really are using them to drain energy."

"Smart." Luna praised. "By why have your friends help?"

"More people mean more chances." I reasoned. "If we all write a letter, that means more chances of getting it read. Maybe we should right more than one or something. Anyway, come on, they're waiting for me."

I scooped her up and ran to Moegi's house, where she had a few tablets of paper ready.

"Okay, now this has got to be good." I said. "How to start this?"

"You could write it as being from the Moonlight Warrior to Tuxedo Mask." Moegi suggested. "Just make it romantic or something." She paused. "Do you even know how to do romantic?"

I grinned sheepishly. "Probably not." I confessed. "Anyway, if it really _is_ a Negaverse scheme, they're not gonna read a letter from the Moonlight Warrior, their enemy. Oh! I have an idea. Here's how I'll start it. _Dear my masked friend, I would like to thank you for your help a few nights back._"

"Writing a thank you letter are you?" Shiori asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well, with a little romance thrown in." I replied self consciously. "If I can. But that's the general idea. Besides, no one's gonna know who 'my masked friend' is, nor that it's from me. Oh boy. I sure hope Serena doesn't find out. If she did, she wouldn't stop bugging me about it for weeks."

Ai grinned. "Yeah that's true. Hey, let's not sign our names to these, in case they do get read on the air. We wouldn't hear the end of it for weeks if Serena Molly or InuYasha-sensei found out."

We all groaned at that idea. No one wanted to get in trouble with InuYasha-sensei. Actually, almost nobody _did_ get in trouble with him and live to tell the tale.

We continued for a couple hours, until we were all satisfied that we had written the perfect love letter.

It was time to spring this love letter trap, and find out once and for all if the Negaverse was preying on the emotions of girls to get their energy.

The trap had been set. Now all we had to do was spring it.


	4. The Golden Aura Of The Sun

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Four: The Golden Aura Of The Sun<p>

_Asagi_

Our letters didn't get read on the air, but Molly's did. I was _sure_ that that show, The Love Line, was using the flowers to drain the energy from the winners.

"Okay, that just proves it." I muttered under my breath. I put my hand on Molly to try to wake her up, but before I could draw on my demonic energy, it sucked out all of my spiritual energy, making me fall asleep.

_Dream_

_I jumped from cloud to cloud dressed as the Moonlight Warrior. Why exactly I had no clue, but those thoughts vanished when I saw Tuxedo Mask._

"_Tuxedo Mask?" I wondered, confused. "Why are you here? Why are we here? Are we in some kind of danger?"_

_He shook his head. "Not at the moment, Moonlight Warrior."_

"_Then, why . . .?"_

"_I have something for you that will help with the coming fights." He answered and held out a beautifully crafted short bow and a quiver of arrows, just like from my dreams. Both were decorated with crescent moons. "Here. These will help you the next time you're in a fight. I know you can use them. I have faith in you."_

_I took them from him and slung them over my back, and he started to walk away._

"_Wait!" I called. "Please, tell me who you are."_

"_I will if you do." He said._

_I nodded. "On three. One, two, three."_

_He smiled and started to take off his mask as I did the same, but right as I was about to find out his identity was when everything started shaking._

End dream

I groaned and sat up. "What . . . happened?"

"That flower on Molly drained all your energy." Luna replied.

I shook my head. "No. Half my energy. They took most of the spiritual energy. I've still got my demonic." Her look demanded answers. I sighed. "Look at my ears. You could just pass it off as being some weird family trait, or genetic mutation, but in reality, they come from one of my parents being a demon."

"But I've been around your parents, neither of them are demons." The black cat objected.

I shook my head. "They're not my real parents. I was left on their doorstep when I was just a baby. I don't know why. They always tried to treat me like their real daughter, but somehow, I knew all along that I wasn't." I explained. "And a few years back I discovered I'm only half human."

"So then what's the other half of you?"

"Demon." I answered. "Whether a Daiyokai, or just a regular Yokai, I'm not sure because my life has never been in serious enough danger for me to transform."

"A Yokai is a demon," Luna began thoughtfully. "But what's a Daiyokai?"

I pushed the covers off myself. "A Daiyokai is a demon so powerful that they have two forms: a human, and a beast. Daiyokai generally pass this on to their half demon offspring, and if ever their lives are in danger, the half demon will, unfortunately, transform into a full Yokai."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Maybe at first. But after a couple times, the pure demon blood of the Daiyokai parent will become too strong for said Hanyo, and the half demon becomes incapable of telling friend from foe, and will blindly attack anyone who crosses their path." I explained grimly.

"But how do you know about all of this?" She wondered, confused.

"My closest friends, Moegi, Ai, Shion, Shiori, Roku, and Dai are all half demons like me. I don't know if we're first generation half demons, of a human and demon parent, or if we're next generation, out of two half demons or even a human and a half demon, but I intend to find out someday. We actually realized it around the same time, and we've been taking lessons from a fellow half demon, named InuYasha." I replied. "By the way, did you check the entertainment section of the newspaper?"

"I did." Luna replied. "But I didn't find that show Serena likes so much."

So we made a plan that involved shutting down that radio show that was run by the Negaverse. Only, two very unexpected things happened. One something named Serena.

"Ready Luna?" I whispered. "We're going to that radio station."

"Ready." She whispered back.

I drew my sword from its sheath (Luna made it for me so that I didn't accidentally cut myself on it), held it in the air, and shouted the words that would make me the Moonlight Warrior. "Moon Prism Power!"

Like the last time, ribbons enveloped my body, forming the tunic, belt, hair tie, tiara and mask. However, something was different this time.

Instead of just my sword being strapped to my back, a bow and quiver as also resting there, as if it were made for me.

Slowly, I lifted the bow off my back, and discovered it was engraved with crescent moon symbols. "No. Freaking. Way." I breathed. "This is the same bow Tuxedo Mask gave me in my dream! But how? It should be impossible!"

"What dream?" Luna demanded.

I explained to her in detail the dream I had when I was unconscious in the school nurse's office. "And I was just about to find out who he was when you woke me up." I finished.

"_What?!_" Serena shrieked as she came into my room. "You nearly found out who Tuxedo Mask was?!"

I sighed. "Serena. What are you doing?"

"I heard you shout 'moon prism power,' and came to see what it was about. And then, long behold, I find out that my _Imouto_ is the Moonlight Warrior everyone has been going on about." She explained. "Well?"

I sighed. "Okay fine. A couple days ago I rescued Luna from a group of young boys trying to hurt her, and so she thought I might be one of the two she was looking for: two girls who had gold and silver auras. Mine is silver, and I think yours might be gold. So then when that big sale happened, that was because a monster from the Negaverse was impersonating Mrs. Baker and somehow rigged the jewels so that they sucked out all your spiritual energy." I answered.

"Spiritual energy?" Serena asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, humans have spiritual energy. That's why there are priests and priestesses. But demons have, as you might guess, demonic energy. Half demons like me have both." I explained. "So anyway, when one of the gems exploded on me, it was because I made it explode with my demonic energy. That's why I was so tired the day after, because I turned into the Moonlight Warrior, and I guessed it was like when I tapped into my demonic energy for the first time at InuYasha-sensei's lessons. That radio show you're so obsessed with, The Love Line, it's not real. The flowers they give out are designed to suck out all your spiritual energy. I touched Molly earlier trying to wake her up, and the flower drained my spiritual energy. But I probably recovered so quickly because I have my demonic energy, and maybe 'cause I'm the Moonlight Warrior. While I was passed out though, I dreamed I was jumping on the clouds. There I met Tuxedo Mask and he gave me my bow. I asked him to tell me who he was, and he said he would if I did. So we were about to take off our masks, when Luna woke me up. But right now, we've got to stop the Love Line."

"Before you do that though, I want to look at Serena's aura." Luna said. "She might be Sailor Sun."

I nodded, closed my eyes, and began breathing as I had been taught. "Breath in and hold it for seven beats you little brats." I recited, smiling. "Now breath out, and hold it for seven beats again. And no questioning me brats, or I'll have you doing pushups until your arms fall off."

Sure enough, Serena's aura was a solid gold. I nodded to Luna, who did a back flip. A brooch appeared. "Take this and shout Sun Prism Power." I instructed and looked to Luna for confirmation.

At Luna's nod, she held it up in the air. "Sun Prism Power!"

She transformed into a warrior with a golden pleated mini skirt, a white leotard, red boots, and a golden tiara like mine.

"And now, we jump on the roof and use them to get to the radio station." I said. "And it really does work." Without waiting for her to respond, I jumped on the roof and started running. Luckily, she followed me. Seeing that the guard was asleep, I crept past him and ran into the studio. "Hi." I chirped as I sat down opposite a blond haired man. "I'm a fan of the show and I was just wondering how come everyone who wears those flowers you give out pass out."

"Do you have any experience of this?" The man asked coolly.

"Sure I do. My friend Molly got her letter read on the air, and when she put that flower on, she passed out. And my teacher too. And when I touched my friend Molly, I felt _my_ energy being drained." I replied with a smirk that didn't match my voice.

Serena grabbed the microphone. "If you know what's good for you, turn off your radios right now and throw away the flowers. It's nothing but a plot by the evil Negaverse to steal your energy. They don't care one bit about your hopes and dreams."

"Go nee-chan." I said, impressed. "She's right. This man doesn't care at all about your dreams. He's just feeding off your love to get the energy he wants. Don't listen to him."

The only person awake flew into the room, revealing her to be a monster. Her breath was probably poisonous, or made things catch fire, or something like that, so that meant we had to dodge. Lousy teme. Why did it have to have poisonous breath or fire breath?

Finally, we jumped up onto the roof. "Hey Serena!" I called. "Throw your tiara! You'll know how. As for me, I'm going to try out my new weapon." I carefully nocked an arrow and drew the bow back. Then I fired. That didn't work too well, so I decided I'd use my tiara. Serena was just looking confused so I showed her how it was done.

"Watch me." I took off my tiara and it became a discus. Serena did the same.

"Eclipse Tiara Magic!" We called in unison, making the monster turn into dust. I drew my sword and charged at the general. He drew a sword of his own, and we crossed blades, but he pushed me back. I landed on my ass, hard.

"Ow. That hurts a little." I tried to get up, but my ankle prevented me from doing so thanks to a sharp pain. "I take that back. Fuck that hurts!" I bared my sword in a feeble attempt to defend myself, but I couldn't get up with my ankle the way it was.

Suddenly, a rose hit the general (since he was commanding the monster, what else could he be but a general?). "Don't give into them Moonlight Warrior." Tuxedo Mask said.

I smirked wryly. "Nee-chan? If I give you the sword, do you think you could use it?" Before we could do anything though, a black portal opened up and sucked General-teme in when he touched it. "Thanks Tuxedo Mask!" I called. "Nee-chan, can you help me out? I think I sprained my ankle. Oh fuck that hurts."

Serena lifted me onto her shoulder. "No problem imouto."

_The next day at school_

"Dear Tuxedo Mask," I began, trying to think of exactly how to phrase this. "Thank you for the bow you gave me. I hope I can put it to good use in the near future. I have a feeling that we'll meet again soon, so until then. Moonlight Warrior."


	5. Training With Personalized Swords

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Five: Training With Personalized Swords<p>

_Darien_

"Dear Tuxedo Mask." I read, raising my eyebrows. I just found the letter blowing in the wind and decided to see what it was about. I had no idea it was for me. "'Thank you for the bow you gave me. I hope I can put it to good use in the near future. I have a feeling we'll meet again in the near future, so until then. Moonlight Warrior.'"

_Well I have a feeling we'll meet in the near future too._ I thought._ And for some reason, I really hope it's soon._

_Asagi_

I sighed contentedly as I stepped out of the shower. "Okay, time to weigh in." I stepped on the scale, and noted with a good deal of alarm that I had lost two pounds since my last shower on Monday (Serena and I alternated shower days, so every other day, I took a shower). Maybe it had something to do with being half demon, but for some reason, I had no trouble keeping weight off. Instead, I had trouble keeping it _on._

"Hi Asagi." Mom greeted as I came down dressed in my pajama pants (I just wore the shirt I wore that day to bed). "How was your shower?"

I shrugged. "Well, the shower itself was good, but I somehow have lost two pounds since my last shower on Monday."

Dad frowned. "That's not good. You haven't been skipping meals have you?"

I snorted. "Hell no! Why would I do a stupid thing like that?" I was cut off as I heard Serena wailing about being a fatso or something like that. I sighed. "For the love of Kami, nee-chan. Stop that incessant _wailing._"

"But I'm a total fatso!" She cried. I groaned, tempted to go what my friends so lovingly called 'InuYasha-sensei' on her, but resisted at the thought of the trouble I'd get it.

_Though it would _almost_ be worth it._ I thought ruefully. _Almost._

"It's just half a pound, so what's the big deal?" Sammy asked.

"Half a pound?" Dad asked. "That's the big crisis?"

"You'll work that off in no time." Mom assured her.

"On your hundred meter dash to school." We all chimed in.

"You don't care, none of you!" Serena wailed. I took a deep breath in through my nose, _sorely_ tempted to go InuYasha-sensei on her and make her do pushups until her arms fell off. However, I decided it wasn't worth it and shook (half a pound and she called herself a fatso? Hardly a big deal) my head as I climbed the stairs to my room.

"Serena, are you _still_ upset about that half pound you gained?" Luna asked.

"Uh-huh."

"And now you're on a strict diet?"

"Uh-huh."

Luna drew something on a blank piece of paper.

"What're you doing?" I asked curiously.

Luna smirked. "Drawing our _favorite_ hero." She held up a drawing of a severely bloated Sailor Sun. That only made Serena wail again and me laugh my head off.

_The next day at school_

"So your parents are gonna let you diet?" Molly asked. "No way."

"Serena." I corrected. "I'm not going on a diet."

"Why not?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because I've always had trouble with losing weight."

"Then you should go on a diet!" One of Serena's friends exclaimed.

I groaned. "You misunderstood me. I don't have trouble keeping weight off, I have trouble keeping it _on._ I don't need to diet."

"My mom says girls our age should never diet." One of them said.

"But we're fourteen!" Serena, Molly, and their other friend protested. I sighed and stood up to go looking for Ai, Moegi, Shion, Roku, Shiori, or Dai, or all of them. At least they would be better company than Serena's friends.

"So what's up?" Ai asked when she spotted me.

I shrugged and toyed with my necklace, the same one I'd gotten the day I first became the Moonlight Warrior. "Not much."

"So, Serena is Sailor Sun?" She asked.

I looked at her. "How did you know about that?"

"I was listening to Love Line the other night to see if my letter got read." She replied. "I heard you call someone 'nee-chan,' and then I heard the stories about Sailor Sun. Besides, Serena is the only one you ever call nee-chan."

"True." I admitted. "Hey, don't forget, lessons after school today."

Ai groaned. "Don't remind me."

_At InuYasha's dojo_

"Welcome back brats." Our sadistic teacher said with a giant smirk. "Ready for another fun day of tort— I mean, training?" He probably let that slip on purpose.

"Yes Sensei." We chorused.

"Good. Now as always, Roku and Dai will lead you in the five golden rules." He said with a sadistic grin. If there was one thing I'd worry if Sensei stopped doing, it was being sadistic.

The Five Golden Rules of the Dog Demon Dojo (the twins' version) were, in order:

One: You will not whine.

Two: You will act like you are smart.

Three: You will not be arrogant.

Four: You will not be late to class.

Five: InuYasha's word is law.

After singing (well really parroting back what Roku and Dai sang) the rules, InuYasha leveled me with a glare. "So Asagi," He began, crossing his arms over his chest. "When were you planning on telling us that _you_ are this Moonlight Warrior?"

"Honestly Sensei, Moegi, Ai, and Shiori already know." I replied. "They helped me with a plan to prove that that stupid show The Love Line was just a ploy for the Negaverse to get energy. And as for the others, I probably would have told them eventually, but not for a while. I don't know when I would have told you Sensei." One of the unspoken rules: _never_ lie to Sensei, because he can and he _will_ spot it and call you out on it.

See, your heart rate increases when you lie. Natural response. Anyway, InuYasha-sensei, being part dog demon and having extremely sensitive hearing, can hear your heart rate and hear when it speeds up. Even if I could control that, which I can't, he'd still be able to tell.

"Alright," He continued. "As of today, you've graduated normal longswords. I'll choose the personalized sword I think is best for you. Roku, Dai, you'll both be using a medium length, medium weight sword. Ai, a long heavy broad sword. Shiori, a light short sword. Moegi, a Saxe knife, and Shion, you'll stay with a normal longsword."

He paused and looked at me. "Asagi, show me your sword."

I bowed and complied. "Yes Sensei." He attempted to unsheathe the blade, but for some reason was unable to.

"Why is it that I'm unable to unsheathe this blade?" He growled.

I gulped. Boy was he scary when he was mad. "It might be because it's a magical item, given to me by my cat guardian Luna." I answered. "I can have her make it so that you can draw the blade, although it'll have to wait until after today's lesson."

"Do it."

"Yes Sensei."

"Now, I want you to use this blade, since you're already accustomed to using it. It would be foolish to try to make you use another sword and have this one be nothing but a transformation tool and a decoration." He continued.

"Not very." I replied though he probably already knew. "I've only used it once, although that _could_ be because I've only fought two battles."

"Then you'll learn to use it now. And next time, I want you to bring your sister, Sailor Sun." He ordered. Why was I not surprised? Sensei knew everything, and I mean everything.

"Yes Sensei. And her civilian name is Serena." I supplied.

After that, he gave everyone else their blades and told me to use mine, and set us on basic exercises. A while later, he checked on our progress.

"Sensei," Roku called. "I'm having trouble with this sword. I'm doing everything you say just like I'm supposed to, and yet, it just feels so . . ."

"Awkward?" Moegi supplied with a knowing nod. "Yeah, the same with my Saxe knife. I don't really think it's right for me."

"That's fine." InuYasha-sensei said. "This is only the first time you've used personalized swords. Ai, Dai, Shion, Shiori, how are you doing?"

"Just fine Sensei." Ai answered, gleefully swinging her sword. "In fact, I think that this is too small and light for me. I think I can go bigger."

I slapped my head. "Sensei, I think she wants a meat cleaver." I groaned.

InuYasha laughed. "A meat cleaver Ai?"

She nodded rapidly. "Yeah! A meat cleaver, Sensei!" She told him. I just rolled my eyes. "I think that's the kind of sword I'll be good with!"

"Right then." He replied and changed it around on the board he was using to remember who got what sword. "Dai?"

"Same as my brother Sensei." He replied.

"Shion?"

"Good, but if it were curved I think it would be better." Shion answered. "Like a Katana."

"Shiori?"

"Just fine Sensei." She replied. "There's nothing wrong with my blade."

He switched everyone's blades around so that Moegi had a sword that gradually became smaller until it came to a sharp point at the end, Shion, a Katana, Ai a meat cleaver like she wanted, I still had my sword, Shiori had her light short sword, Dai had a heavy longsword, and Roku a Saxe knife. After a long and hard workout, Sensei dismissed us.

"That was good today. You figured out what swords worked for you." He began. "But don't think that I won't go just as hard on you next time. Next time, we'll work on controlling your demonic energy while you're in battle. Asagi, I want you to bring your sister Serena next time so that she can begin training here. Am I clear?"

"Crystal Sensei." We answered.

_Damn_. I thought as I trudged home. _Sensei sure does making training hard. _I smiled as I walked in and went straight up to my room. _But I wouldn't have any other way._


	6. The Second Swordsman

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Six: The Second Swordsman<p>

_Asagi_

After I took a short forty minute nap, I decided I'd go to the arcade and get some much needed sugar. "Hey Andrew." I greeted as I came in.

"Hey Asagi. Come for a milkshake as usual?" He asked with a smile.

I was a regular visitor every Thursday afternoon after I had lessons with InuYasha-sensei, because his lessons were so tiring that I generally needed some sugar afterwards.

"Of course." I replied. "We graduated basics swords, so he started us on personalized swords today. Ai got a meat cleaver."

Andrew laughed. "Did she? Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. So, will it be a vanilla, or will you try something different?"

"I think I'll just go with a vanilla this time." I replied, not even bothering to look at the menu. "I've got a sudden hankering for it."

And then, Serena stopped in front of the arcade and collapsed into Andrew's arms.

"Nee-chan?" I wondered before I realized what was probably going on and sighed. "Let me guess, that new starve yourself diet didn't work?"

"Starve yourself diet?" Andrew asked as she fainted.

I snorted. "New trend. Basically, you starve yourself to lose weight."

"You've never had a problem with that, have you." He said, and despite the wording it wasn't a question.

I shook my head. "No, and besides, if I tried something that stupid, I'd _never_ hear the end of it from Sensei."

Andrew raised his eyebrows. "Has this happened before?"

I half way shook my head. "Well, kind of." I replied. "I thought maybe if I skipped a few meals I'd get faster, and Sensei found out. He lectured me about if for _weeks_, if not a couple of _months_. I thought he was never going to get off my case! Besides, I have no need to lose weight."

We moved her onto the cot in the back, and when she woke up we had her drink a large glass of water, since she was probably dehydrated.

"Good grief nee-chan, what the hell were you thinking?!" I demanded. "Starving yourself is no way to lose weight."

"You're doing an InuYasha aren't you?" She asked dryly.

I beamed and nodded. "You betcha."

She sighed and looked at Andrew. "Thanks Andrew."

"You really should be thanking your sister." He said. "She's the one who's sat here this whole time."

"Really?"

I grinned. "What are Imoutos for? Oh and by the way, Sensei says that he thinks you should come to the dojo next Thursday."

Serena raised an eyebrow.

I laughed. "Okay, let me rephrase that. Sensei said that next Thursday, he _wants_ you to come to the dojo. He told me to bring you today. I have a feeling it has to do with you-know-what."

"Really?" She asked curiously.

"Well he knew about me." I replied. "Nothing fools _Sensei's_ nose. Hey, I'll treat you to dinner if you want and we can talk some more. Mom and Dad are out tonight, so basically we're being left to scrounge up whatever we feel like."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch?"

I shook my head. "No catch. We just need some place to talk about you-know-what. Besides, I'm hungry. Sensei's training sessions are_ brutal_ as you'll soon find out_._"

So we bade farewell to Andrew, and went in search of a good place for dinner.

Along the way we found a donut shop which Serena just had to go into, and then we met, yep, you guessed it, the one and only person who can get my sister so wound up, Darien.

This time though, he was dressed in a suit for some reason.

"Meatball Head." He greeted. "Or should I call you donut head? You're really chowing down on those things." I took this opportunity to steal one.

"Tease me all you like Darien, but you can't ruin the taste of this donut." Serena growled.

I sighed. "And so it begins again. The ongoing and never ending battle of Serena and Darien. For the love of Kami, Darien, you're worse than Sensei is!"

"You are so selfish." Darien scolded my sister, ignoring me. "The least you could do is offer me one."

"Gladly!" Serena yelled and threw one at him.

Darien just reached up and caught it. "Thanks donut head." He took a bite out of it and started walking away. I just sighted at their usual antics. "You know that wasn't much of a throw. You should start working out."

Serena and I found a nice little restaurant to eat at. She wolfed down a ton of food. Maybe even more than I did, and that's saying something.

"Okay, that's it." I sighed when I saw just how much she ate. Let's just say, there went three months' allowance. "You're helping me pay for this."

"But you said you'd take me to dinner!" Serena protested.

"I did say that." I replied. "But I didn't anticipate how much you'd eat. I don't have enough money to cover all the food you ate. A little advice nee-chan, stop starving yourself."

She didn't listen, and the next day went to that new gym to work out a ton.

Luna followed her, and apparently saw Miss Haruna's energy being drained from some pod thing, and told me about it.

"Okay." I said. "I'm calling Ai."

"What for?" Luna asked.

"Luna what kinds of swords did the Seven Swordsman have?" I asked instead.

"One had a huge meat cleaver, one had a heavy longsword, one had a pointed sword, one was your sword, one had a Saxe knife, one had a light short sword, and one had a Katana." She answered. "Why?"

I grinned. "Then I know who our Seven Swordsman are: my friends and fellow students at the Dog Demon Dojo."

"Really?"

"They have those swords too, although we just started using them yesterday." I answered. "Ai has the meat cleaver."

"Isn't she the smallest and youngest?" Luna asked.

I laughed. "Yeah, but she's the one who wants the meat cleaver." I replied. I was still baffled as to how she could lift the thing. "So anyway, I'm calling her."

After calling Ai, we headed to the gym and got Serena to listen about the pods, and went downstairs to check it out.

"This will definitely be her last treatment." General-teme commented thoughtfully.

"You let her go!" Me, Serena, and Ai demanded in unison. "The game's over, buster. We know you. You're working for the Negaverse."

"There must be some mistake." The teme said sweetly.

"There's no mistake, General-teme." I growled. "Or have you forgotten how we crossed swords already?"

"Who are you again?" He asked boredly.

I just smirked and didn't let him get to me. That would be stupid. "I am the half demon swordsman who defends the innocent. When darkness falls and evil preys upon my home, I will be there, poised to strike. I will defend my home and everyone in it. I'm the leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Moon Moonlight Warrior, and I'll destroy you, because that's a promise by the moon."

"And who's your friend?" He questioned.

"I am Sailor Sun, the Champion of Justice!" Serena declared. "On behalf of the sun, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and _that_ means you."

Maybe I'm a little biased, but I think that my speech was better.

"Okay boys, it's time to work out, on them." The teme general sneered.

The men lunged at us and tried to hit us with the weights.

"Hey, Ai, I've got a plan, come here." I shouted. She quickly raced over to me and I whispered my plan in her ear.

"Bye bye Miss Sun, Miss Moon." General-teme taunted and disappeared with a ball of energy in hand.

"Got it?"

"I got it Asagi."

She unsheathed her meat cleaver and ran towards the pods, and stabbed the thing collecting the energy. The symbol of Neptune appeared on her forehead.

"Ai, quick, raise your meat cleaver above your head and shout, Neptune Prism Power."  
>I called.<p>

"I got it!" She said and did just that. Only instead of shouting Neptune Prism Power, she shouted; "By the power of the nitwit!"

I slapped my head. "Only Ai."

She wore a sea green tunic, blue mask, yellow belt, no shoes, and her meat cleaver was strapped to her back. Her hair as pulled up in a ponytail yellow tie. Her tiara was gold, like mine and Serena's, only it had a blue gem.

"Let's all use our tiaras to take these guys out." I instructed. "Ready?"

"We're ready!"

"Okay, go! Moon Tiara Magic!"

"Sun Tiara Magic!"

"Neptune Tiara Magic!"

Each of our tiaras broke one of their headpieces, and they returned to normal. "General-teme!" I yelled at him just before he retreated. "Who are you and why do you gather energy for the Negaverse?"

He sneered. "Why do I gather energy? You don't need to know that. However, I will tell you this: my name is Jedite. Remember it, Moon-san."

Later that night, Sammy decided to play a practical joke on Serena, which apparently involved somehow setting the scale to three hundred.

"Mother!" Serena wailed. "I broke the bathroom scale!"

I sighed. "Looks like things are back to normal. At least we found the second Swordsman. Now things should be a little easier."


	7. The Phony Contest

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Seven: The Phony Contest<p>

_Darien's dream_

Instead of waiting for someone like in my last dream, I instead jumped from cloud to cloud, trying to get somewhere in a hurry.

To my surprise, waiting for me was the Moonlight Warrior.

She smiled. "I'm glad you came." She said. "Thank you for the bow."

"You're welcome." I answered. "So why are we here?"

She held out a sword. "Here. I think this should help you a bit. I hope this is the right size for you. I wanted to thank you for giving me the bow, and I thought the best way to do that would be giving you a weapon of your own."

"Thank you." I said as I accepted it and strapped it to my hip. "I promise I'll use it well."

She smiled again as she began to disappear. "That's all I ask."

_End dream_

_Asagi_

As usual, Serena was late for class. Only today, Molly was late too.

I sighed as Melvin began bragging about what he won last month after joining the Saffron Fan Club online. Apparently she got five million dollars for her first role.

_If I had five million dollars,_ I thought, chin on my fist as Melvin declared that _Serena_ could be a star. _The first thing I'd__ do would be to buy myself a whetstone and sharpen my sword every day._

After having practiced with my sword every day, it was starting to get covered in scratches and dings and it was starting to dull. I made a mental note to ask InuYasha-sensei for a whetstone to sharpen my sword with, possibly today after school.

After I'd stopped by the dojo and gotten a whetstone, I sat in my room sharpening my sword, trying to drown out Serena and Molly's singing.

"Asagi, please tell me you're not as bad of a singer as those two are." Luna pleaded as she closed my door with her paws.

"Well," I said thoughtfully as I rubbed my chin. "I don't think I'm _that_ good, but I think I'm better than those two."

"Well, how about we see?" She said. "It can't be any worse than those two."

I smiled. "That's a good point." I looked though my collection of CD's and looked at Luna. "So, any special requests?"

"Well, what about the one they're singing?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Nah. Doesn't exactly _suit_ me if you get my point, and besides, I'm sure I can think of a better song than that."

"How about that one you were singing the other day, Nothing At All?" Luna suggested.

I brightened. "Oh yeah, Nothing At All. That's a relatively short song, not to mention it describes my relationship with the my best friends perfectly."

I took a deep breath and began my song.

"_You've been there for me,  
>No matter what the cost.<br>My best friend since we,  
>Believed in Santa Claus.<br>You have always stood beside me,  
>And I wanna let you know;<em>"

Luna applauded, and Molly and Serena stuck their heads in to listen.

_I'll be the one who hears your prayers.  
>Don't have to ask me I'll be there.<br>I'll be the friend you'll never have to do without, no.  
>When you have nothing at all,<br>You'll still having nothing to worry about, oh no._"

Molly and Serena had by now sat down on the floor, totally absorbed in my singing, and I was pretty sure I noted stunned looks on their faces.

"_When I was lost inside a forest of despair,  
>You always knew just how,<br>To help me find my way.  
>In a world that's so uncertain,<br>I will promise this to you,_"

And so I took a deep breath and began the chorus of the song again. Molly and Serena were still in the room for some reason. I didn't really think I was _that_ good. Then again, I'd never really sung to anyone other than my best friends, so I wouldn't really know.

"_I'll be the one who hears your prayers,  
>Don't have to ask me I'll be there.<br>I'll be the friend you'll never have to do without, no.  
>When you have nothing at all,<br>You'll still have nothing to worry about, oh no.  
>When you have nothing at all,<br>You'll still have nothing to worry about._"

And then the song was done.

"Whoa!" Molly breathed. "That was amazing!"

I blushed. "Thanks Molly, but it's just something I do for fun, singing I mean. I've never really tried to make anything of it."

"You _should!_" They insisted.

I groaned. "Well I'm not going to." I said firmly, and that ended _that_ discussion.

The next day, Saffron announced she was having a contest, to see who could be a big star or something. I scoffed. _Boring and a drag._ I thought dully.

Apparently Molly and Melvin were going to sign up together. Serena got this brilliant idea that she'd do it with Luna, until I reminded her that Luna was _my_ cat.

She still tried to do it behind my back, so I tracked her down to where Luna had just told her she was out, and Serena had run into Darien.

_Oh boy._ I groaned. W_hat's he going to do this time?_

He smiled and waved. "Hey."

I waved back as Serena gasped and ran away. "What's up Darien?" I asked curiously.

"Actually, I was looking for you." He admitted. "I was hoping you'd enter that contest with me. Not Saffron's, cause I think that's a big scam, but the next one, next month."

"Not that I'm not happy you want _me_ to sign up with you, but why me?" I asked.

"I was in the neighborhood yesterday and I heard you singing." He replied. "And I just want to see how good I am."

I blinked. "Sure." I agreed. "You got a song in mind?"

His face bore just the faintest hint of a blush. "Can I have this dance." He mumbled. "I mean, it's a duet and all, and it does have a boy and girl part, unlike other songs."

I smiled. "Well that's cool. If you didn't want to do that one, we could also do Right Here in My Arms, Make a Wish, If You Love Me For Me, or Right Here Right Now. Anyway, I gotta go check on my nee-chan. Serena?" I called.

"Hey Meatball Head." Darien teased.

I groaned. "Not again."

"I thought for sure you'd be over at the talent show." He continued. Serena looked away. "Especially since all your friends are over there acting like _total_ fools."

"Well obviously I've got better things to do Darien." She snapped. "I'd love to stay and chat, but," She floundered for an excuse. "I've got homework!"

I snorted. "The day Serena does homework willingly is the day InuYasha-sensei's word isn't law at the dojo." Darien raised an eyebrow. I laughed. "My teacher at the Dog Demon Dojo, InuYasha, has five golden rules we recite at the beginning of every class. The twins' version, which we recite at the beginning is: One: You will not whine. Two: You will act like you are smart. Three: You will not be arrogant. Four: You will not be late to class. And five—"

"You will or will not do something?" Darien guessed.

I shook my head. "Actually, no. Five: InuYasha's word is law."

"A bit harsh isn't it?" He asked.

I shrugged. "To be frank with you, Sensei's a sadistic asshole. But it's because of him that I'm as strong as I am. But, anyway, I go, so see yah."

And with that, I ran home to sharpen my sword.


	8. Needed Information

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Eight: Needed information<p>

_Asagi_

The next day, everyone couldn't stop talking about that stupid phony contest of Saffron's.

Apparently Roku and Dai had been debating about whether or not to enter and have their act be fencing, when Sensei (literally) beat the idea out of them.

To be honest, if it were a singles contest, I might have entered just to see how good I was. But as you had to sign up in pairs, I decided not to.

Besides, it seemed like everyone won no matter how good or bad they were (case in point: Molly and Melvin).

"I'll be glad when this whole thing's over." Serena commented as we watched everyone fight about who would win.

Finally, Saturday rolled around, so we went to see our friends perform. Turns out 'Saffron' was actually a monster.

"Yikes!" I shrieked and ran to the bathroom to transform. "Hey Luna, do you have something I can call Ai with?"

"Yes." She said and did one of her famous back flips, and a watch with a crescent moon on the lid appeared. "There's one for all of you, but I'll give them to you later."

"Thank you." I said and pushed the button. "Hey, Ai, I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, come to the old theater, the one that closed months ago. It's the site of the Negaverse's latest energy stealing scheme."

Not long later, Ai was there, just like I told her. Good old reliable Ai. "Ready?" She asked, meat cleaver in hand.

"I'm ready." Serena and I replied in unison.

"Moon Prism Power!"

"Sun Prism Power!"

"Neptune Prism Power!"

And so we transformed into our respective Scout and Swordsman forms. Honestly though, I was pretty surprised that Ai didn't shout 'by the power of the nitwit,' or something else stupid like that.

"Okay, let's go bust some Negaverse ass." I declared. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Then Serena, Ai, you guys pull the curtains closed while I make an entrance and distract 'Saffron.'" I instructed. "And then when I say 'now,' come out and help me fight. You guys got it?"

"We got it."

"Great." I said as we raced to implement the plan.

The curtains closed, and I took my cue to make an entrance. "The curtain is closed on this bogus talent competition!" I declared. "Now give everyone back their energy!"

"Who are you?!" The fake Saffron monster demanded.

I smirked. "Ai, Serena, now!"

"I'll say it again." The monster growled. "Who are you?"

I looked at Ai, and together, we began. "We are the half demon swordsmen who defend the innocent. When darkness falls and evil prays upon our home, we will be there, poised to strike. We will defend our home and everyone in it! We are the Seven Swordsman of the Moon, and we'll destroy you, because that's a promise by the moon!"

"I am Sailor Sun, the champion of justice!" Serena added. "And on behalf of the sun, I shall right wrongs, and triumph over evil, and _that_ means _you!_"

"Ha!" The monster scoffed and threw off her Saffron disguise.

"Wow." I whistled. "Talk about ugly. Oh geez, I'm starting to sound like Sensei."

"You don't scare me one bit." Serena agreed.

"You're nothing but a big pretender." Ai added in. "And now it's time to say goodbye, nega-trash."

"Oh really?" The monster drawled and shot some stuff at us. We dodged it quickly.

I drew my sword. "Hey Ugly!" I shouted. "Yeah that's right, I'm talking to _you_ Ugly!"

The monster got really mad and started chasing me. In the process some of that stuff that froze you hit me. I used my sword to get free with by shattering the ice with a mighty downward strike using the hilt.

"Come on, get down here and fight me like a warrior." I challenged. "Unless of course you're too chicken and the so called mighty Negaverse is nothing but big talk! Face it, you're all bark and no bite at all, and your boss is just a big coward who hides behind a bunch of monsters to do his dirty work. Is that it?"

"Oh! I'll show you!" The monster bellowed furiously.

I smirked. "We'll see about that."

Unfortunately, the icy stuff hit my sword arm, so I couldn't use it to shatter the ice, and said ice enveloped my whole body. Then, a rose hit me, and shattered the ice.

"Hey, what's happening?!" The Saffron impersonator demanded. "Who dares?"

The spotlight shone on Tuxedo Mask. He was wearing the sword I have him. I grinned up at him, and he briefly smiled back before smirking and turning his attention to Ugly.

"You must believe in yourselves, girls." He said.

"Tuxedo Mask!" I called. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it." He replied, and as usual, swirled his cape and left.

"Who's that man in the cape?!" Ugly demanded and flew after him.

"Don't let her get away." Luna warned, appearing by jumping on top of the seats for the first time since the fight began.

"Right." The three of us said in unison and put a hand to our tiaras, turning them into discuses.

"Eclipse Tiara Magic!" We cried and threw said tiaras. Ugly was vaporized, and everyone got their energy back. Apparently, most of them thought it was just a dream.

_At home_

"You know, I was really proud of you today." Luna told Serena and I. "And of Ai as well. Now Serena, use all that good energy, and study."

"Study?" Serena groaned. "Aw!"

I laughed. "Luna, shouldn't you know by now, the more things change, the more things stay the same?" I teased. "Surely you knew that by now."

"Good point Asagi." Luna agreed with the closest thing a cat could get to a grin. "It'll take a miracle to get_ Serena _to study."

I smirked. "That it will Luna. That it will." I said distractedly as I looked out the window into the setting sun.

"Thinking of something?" Luna asked curiously.

I halfway shook my head. "Well, kind of. It's just, when I dreamed about Tuxedo Mask, about him giving me the bow, it was real, because now I have said bow whenever I transform."

"Go on." Serena prompted.

"And then in return I gave him a sword." I continued. "I wasn't sure if it would work or not, but did you notice the sword strapped to his hip today?"

"I _did_ notice that." Luna said thoughtfully. "What about it?"

"That was the sword I gave him." I replied. "Just an average longsword, the basic one that Sensei would start a learner on. The same ones he had us learn the basic sword stances and techniques on."

"And you said you gave it to him in your _dream_?" Luna confirmed. "That is strange. I'll do a bit of research and I'll tell you what I find."

"Thanks Luna." I said gratefully. "'Cause I've got a feeling, we're gonna need that information."


	9. The New Transfer Student

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Nine: The New Transfer Student<p>

_Asagi_

Serena was laughing like a hyena over some comic book.

"Hey Serena, keep it down!" I shouted from upstairs. "I'm trying to meditate here."

"Sorry Imouto, but it's just so funny." She apologized.

I sighed. "You know we've got that test tomorrow in History." I reminded. "Shouldn't you be _studying?_"

"Like you I told you the other day Asagi, it'll take a miracle to get _Serena_ to study." Luna sniggered.

I smiled. "True." I agreed. "Oh, I almost forgot. Tomorrow is Thursday, which means I've got to drag Serena to the dojo."

Mom also scolded Serena, said something about how she and Dad were worried that Serena was going to flunk school. "I have to know," She sobbed. "Where did we go wrong?" Nice theatrics Mom.

Serena started wailing. "Mom, it's not your fault!" She wailed. "It's just not the same was when you were young."

She gave some excuse about the pressure and how comic books were the only way to relieve that pressure.

I snorted. "I bet InuYasha-sensei would give her extra conditioning, just for giving such a lame-assed excuse. Oh for shit's sake nee-chan." I sighed, though I knew she couldn't hear me. "Get a grip, that's the oldest excuse in the book."

"Oh Serena, that sounds all too familiar." Mom groaned. "That's the same old excuse I used on _my_ parents."

I smirked. "Like I said," I grinned a few minutes later as she was forced to study for our upcoming history test. "The oldest excuse in the book. Oh and Luna, if she's chewing on her pencil, it probably means she's reading a comic book. You going to contact Headquarters tonight?"

Luna told me all about how she could contact Headquarters via the arcade.

"Yes I am, and I would offer to take you along, but-"

"You're going after the arcade closes, and in the dead of night." I finished. "Don't worry, I don't mind. Just ask if they've got any information on the other Sailor Scouts. We're gonna need a full team if we're ever going to take on the Negaverse."

_The next day_

There was this new transfer student from Brighton Academy, a girl named Amy.

She looked really lonely, and no one wanted to get near her, so I decided that _I_ would.

"Hi there." I said. "I'm Asagi. You're Amy, right?"

"Yes." She replied, confused. "But how come you're not staying away from me, like everyone else?"

I smiled. "I'm not most people." I countered.

"You wouldn't happen to be a half demon would you?" She questioned, her eyes finding my pointed ears.

"Why yes I am." I answered. "How did you know? You're not a half demon are you?"

She shook her head. "No, but my baby brother Roku is." She said smiling.

I raised an eyebrow. "Roku as in Roku one of the two most annoying people on the face of the earth? Mostly green and partially orange hair? Has two triangular marks on his face? That Roku?"

"Yes." Amy replied. "How did you know?"

"We're both students at the Dog Demon Dojo." I replied. "Actually, come to think of it, I'll be seeing him today in lessons."

Amy smiled. "Your sensei's a sadist, right?"

I beamed. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

"And neither would Roku." She finished. "So he finally started you on personalized swords? Roku wouldn't stop cheering and interrupting my homework when he came back."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that's Roku alright."

I rubbed my ears as Serena, Melvin, Molly, and another friend of theirs tried to be quiet about their gossip. Though they tried to be quiet, they just made themselves that much louder, and it was hurting my sensitive ears.

Amy scowled at them.

I sighed. "Just ignore them, they don't know what they're talking about. In fact, I think they're just jealous. And honestly, sometimes, I wonder how I'm related to the idiot I call my nee-chan."

She raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

I groaned and pointed. "Believe it or not, the Meatball Head, as Darien likes to call her." I sighed. "I swear he takes no greater pleasure than winding her up. Then again, it's so easy to do, I can see why."

Amy smiled. "We'd better hurry to class. We have a test and I haven't studied for it."

_After school_

"You know Serena, you would have done a bit better if you'd actually studied." I nagged. "Besides, history isn't as hard as math."

"Maybe for you." She shot back. "You _like_ history."

I shrugged. "Your point?"

"My _point_ is that it's so hard to study something you don't like." She whined.

"Which is everything." I finished.

"Exactly!"

I groaned. "Come on, we've only got a little time before we have to go to the dojo, and we _cannot_, even if the world as we know it is coming to an end, be late."

"You forget," Serena said with a grin. "I'm always late."

I growled and bared my teeth. "Not to Sensei's lessons you're not." I barked.

Then we spotted Roku walking home with Amy. Luna suddenly jumped on her shoulder.

"Luna?" I asked, confused.

"Oh!" Amy exclaimed. "You sure gave me a scare kitty."

"Sorry about that." I apologized. "That's my cat Luna, and I don't know _what's_ gotten into her." I gave her a sharp look when Amy _wasn't_ looking.

"Asagi!" Roku cried delightedly.

I sighed, tempted to strangle him. "Go pester someone else." I demanded as Serena and Amy talked.

"This place has everything you need." Serena said, playing tour guide. "An ice cream parlor, an arcade—"

"Where's the library?" Amy interrupted.

"You know nee-chan you really shouldn't spend all your time at the library." Roku scolded. "Not if you ever want to make new friends."

Amy smiled and ruffled his hair, much to his chagrin. "For your information I _have_ made a new friend."

"Hey _stop_ that!" He objected. He looked at Serena and I. "Don't forget you can't be late for class."

"One of the golden rules, I know." I replied. "Nee-chan, come on. We _have_ to get ready and go so that we're not late."

Not waiting for her to answer, I dragged her inside after waving goodbye to Amy and forced her into some clothes she could train in, and then dragged her to the dojo just in time.

"Asagi." Sensei said disapprovingly. "Why were you almost late?"

I bowed. "Sorry Sensei, but as you know, I had to drag Serena here, and let me tell you, she was not happy with that idea."

"Hey, don't pin this on me!" Serena whined.

I elbowed her. "Serena, don't whine. It's against the rules."

"What rules?" She demanded.

I groaned. "The five golden rules of the Dog Demon Dojo. Roku, Dai?"

"The Golden Rules," They began. "One: You will not whine."

"We will not whine." Ai, Shion, Shiori and I echoed. Serena just stood there looking blank, not knowing what to do.

"Two: You will act like you are smart."

"We will act like we are smart."

"Three: You will not be arrogant."

"We will not be arrogant."

"Four: You will not be late to class."

"We will not be late to class."

"Five: InuYasha's word is law."

"InuYasha's word is law."

It took Serena quite a while to accept these rules, but eventually, she got it.

Afterwards of course, I went to the Arcade. Serena went to play video games (she didn't work that hard in training, so she wasn't that tired, though I had no doubt that Sensei would work her extra hard next time to make up for her slacking this time), while I wanted a shake as usual.

On the way we met Amy and she decided to come along.

"Hi Asagi." Andrew greeted. "Vanilla?"

I beamed. "Of course."

He chuckled and got me a shake. "So Serena joined your class today?" He asked when he returned.

I nodded and took a giant sip of my shake. "Yeah, it was InuYasha-sensei's idea. He thought that being my sister she would benefit from some training."

Speaking of the idiot I call my nee-chan, she somehow convinced Amy to play the Sailor V game she was obsessed with, and Amy got a _really_ high score.

I whistled. "Wow Amy!" I said, amazed. "You even beat _Serena's_ score!"


	10. Sailor Mercury Arrives

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Ten: Sailor Mercury Arrives<p>

_Asagi_

Amy abruptly stood up, saying that her computer professer would kill her if she was late. Apparently she had a special computer class twice a week for three hours each. I'd never heard of it, so I was a little suspicious, but I kept my mouth shut. She left her computer disk though, so we had to go and return it. Luna said it might be a trap.

"Come on, don't be a scardey cat Luna." Serena dismissed.

"Talkin' to yourself again Meatball Head?" Darien teased, rounding the corner.

I sighed. _I feel a battle coming on, because every time we run into Darien, a battle generally follows soon after._

"Oh, Darien!" Serena exclaimed. "Didn't hear you slither up. Anyway, gotta go!"

And with that she ran off, still holding Amy's computer disk.

I groaned. "Like I said, sometimes I wonder how I'm related to her."

"See ya around Asagi." Darien called waving, and walked off.

"See ya." I ran in the direction Luna and Serena went. Apparently they were going to check out what was on Amy's disk.

"You know, you're pretty smart for a cat." Serena commented.

"You could learn if you wanted to." Luna replied. As the screen came up, I instinctively covered my ears, telling Serena to do the same.

"Welcome students." The program droned. "You have been specially chosen to give your energy to our magnificent leader Queen Beryl."

"It's a brainwashing program!" Luna realized. "Your friend is from the Negaverse!"

I snorted. "I doubt it Luna. Anyway, I'm calling Ai." I hit the button on my watch and Ai's face came into view (not long after the last fight Luna gave us all communicators). "Ai, it's me. We've got a Negaverse situation."

"On it." She replied. "Should I transform?"

I looked at Luna.

She shook her head. "No. Not yet. Use the Luna Pen fist."

I nodded. "Got it. Disguise Power! Change me into a school principal!" I passed the pen to Serena. She took it and raised it into the air.

"Disguise Power!" Serena echoed as Ai arrived. "Change me into a school principal!" She handed it to Ai.

"Disguise Power!" Ai declared. "Change me into a teacher!"

We ran inside, where Amy was apparently in charge of the class.

"Sailor Sun and the Swordsman would be nice." Luna said.

I nodded, unsheathed my sword, and yelled; "Moon Prism Power!"

"Sun Prism Power!" Serena followed.

"By the power of the nitwit!"

Amy gasped. "Sailor Sun? Moonlight Warrior? Neptune Warrior?"

A suspicious looking woman appeared and clamped her hand over Amy's mouth. "Oh Amy, can't I leave you in charge for one minute?"

The woman changed into a monster.

"So Amy wasn't a monster." Serena said. "What now Einstein?"

"Um, wing it?" Luna suggested nervously.

I groaned, but none the less, I glared at the monster. "You let my friend go!" I demanded. "We know what you're up to, and you're not going to get away with it!"

"Humph. And who might you be?"

I smirked. "Ai?"

She nodded as Serena launched into her speech.

"I am Sailor Sun, the champion of Justice!" Serena shouted. "And on behalf of the sun, I will right wrongs, and triumph over evil. And _that_ means you!"

"We are the half demon swordsmen who defend the innocent." Me and Ai declared as one. "When darkness falls and evil preys upon our home, we will be there, poised to strike. We will defend our home and everyone in it. We are the Seven Swordsman of the Moon, and we'll destroy you, because that's a promise by the moon."

"Pop quiz time." Ugly said with a nasty grin. "We want answers. What's three fifty five times two sixty eight?"

"You're not my teacher, and I don't have to answer." Serena said defensively.

"Time's up kid." Ugly declared. "Too bad." It shot some papers at us. I slashed through them with my sword, as did Ai, but Serena, having no sword, had to dodge. "I'm giving you two choices." It said as we got backed into a corner. "Surrender now, or surrender later."

"I choose C) none of the above!" I declared. "We'll never surrender."

The zombie like students came after us.

The monster shoved Amy up against a computer screen. "You thought you could escape me. No one can resist my powers. Surrender to me now."

"I'll never give into you, ever!" Amy cried. "Now let me go you slimy old witch!"

"Stop resisting my power." Ugly demanded. "Relinquish your power."

The symbol of Mercury appeared on Amy's forehead.

"Hey Luna, does that mean what I think it does?" Ai asked.

"Mercury!" Luna gasped. "She's not from the Negaverse, she's one of us! She's Sailor Mercury!"

Luna did one of her famous back flips and a blue stick appeared. She grabbed it in her mouth and bounded over to Amy.

"We don't need your energy anyway." Ugly scoffed, throwing her on the ground. "You just failed this class." Her/its hand turned into a scythe.

Luna rolled the stick to Amy. "Amy, take this! Shout Mercury Power!" She instructed.

Amy dodged the scythe, and with a determined look, raised it above her head. "Mercury Power!"

"Talk about cutting it close." Luna said, relieved. "I thought Sailor Mercury was a goner for sure."

"Luna, help!" Serena wailed. I bared my sword and Ai bared her meat cleaver, but like with the jewelry store, everything we knew about heroes told us we couldn't hurt innocent people.

"Use your Mercury Bubbles!" Luna instructed.

"Mercury Bubbles, blast!" Amy declared.

A fine mist covered the area.

"What's this?" The monster asked, and started shivering. "Brr, it's cold! I'm freezing!"

The possessed students dropped to the ground.

Amy appeared next to Ugly, who drove her hand into a computer screen.

"Missed me!" Amy taunted. "Sailor Sun, Moonlight Warrior, Neptune Warrior, are you all okay?"

I grinned. "Yeah, but the big ugly thing sure isn't. Use your tiara. Just watch us."

We all took off our tiaras and they, as usual, turned into discuses. "Eclipse Tiara Magic!"

Ugly was vaporized and turned into a pile of dust, which disappeared.

"Sailor Mercury, you were great." Luna praised. "Welcome to the team."

"Amy, you're Sailor Mercury!" Serena cheered. "That's so cool!"

_Later_

"I can't believe we thought you were a spy for the Negaverse." Serena said as she bowed sheepishly. "I hope you're not mad about it."

"It was my fault." Luna added. "And Asagi never suspected you in the first place."

"No way." Amy said with a smile. "Once you saw what was on that computer disk, it was only natural you suspected me. I would have done the same thing. I'm just glad we beat them."

"Now we don't have to work so hard." Serena said cheerfully.

"What are you talking about Serena?" I asked innocently. "If Sensei found out, he'd give you double conditioning!"

"So?" Serena objected. "That's nothing."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ai teased. "'And no questioning me brats, or I'll have you doing pushups till your arms fall off.'"

Serena, unsurprisingly, had nothing to say to that. We all laughed at her misfortune.


	11. What's the Hurry?

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Eleven: What's The Hurry?<p>

_Asagi_

The day after Amy joined the team, we went to the mall and hit every store there.

I made Serena get some practical workout clothes (she wasn't too happy about that), I got a couple outfits for weekends and after school, and Ai got some fabric and thread to help fix her clothes, and her sister Ray's clothes too.

Finally, we hit the bookstore. I of course went straight to the section where I could find a good American fantasy novel, preferably The Magician, sequel to The Alchemyst, which I'd finished a couple days ago.

"I've got my comic books, ready to go?" Serena asked Amy, who had a large book in her hand. What Serena saw in comic books I would never know.

"Oh I could stay here all day." Amy answered.

"What's that book you've got Amy?" Ai asked curiously.

"Advanced physics." Amy replied happily.

"Advanced physics? Wow." I said with a low whistle. "Oh, speaking of school subjects, Sensei probably didn't have you do this since it was your first time last time, but you're supposed to bring your report card for him to inspect. If you get anything below a C-minus, you get extra conditioning. And not only do _you_ get extra conditioning, but _we_ get extra conditioning as well. Oh Amy, now that you're a Sailor Scout, you'll probably have to come to Sensei's training."

Amy blinked as we paid for everything. "How come?"

I shrugged as we walked outside. "Well I think that Sensei wants the warriors who are defending our world to be competent fighters. Of course me, Ai, Roku, Shion, Shiori, and Dai were all going to his dojo for training _long_ before me and Ai—"

"Shouldn't you say Ai and I?" Amy corrected before making a face. "Okay never mind. That sounds weird."

I grinned. "So it does. Anyway, the seven of us were training at InuYasha's dojo _long_ before me and Ai became Swordsman and you and Serena became Sailor Scouts."

"Hey look at the crowd at the clock store." Serena commented. "We should go check it out, I need a new alarm clock. It's broken again."

"Yes, that was the first thing they told me at school; you're always late." Amy said with a laugh. I agreed with that. If I had a penny for every time she was late, I'd be rich.

"Serena will probably try to tell you they're exaggerating and she usually makes it by the bell," I teased. "But that would be a lie. She's _always_ late."

"But an alarm clock would help." Serena objected.

"I'm tired." Amy said. "I'm not an experienced mall traveler like you, and I don't have the same endurance that you half demons do."

I shrugged. "Girl's got a point. Maybe we should go. Day after tomorrow is class after all, and the end of the month, which means that you've gotta bring in your report card."

Serena pouted. "Come on, just one more store?"

I sighed. "Oh alright. But just this one."

My nee-chan cheered, grabbed Amy's hand, and dragged her into the clock store.

"Come on in ladies." The store clerk said. "Please, feel free to look around."

As she gestured to the watches, I got an uneasy feeling from her.

"Wow, they're gorgeous!" Serena gasped.

"Yes, but they're so _expensive._" Amy pointed out sensibly.

Serena sighed. "Some day when I'm rich, I'll get myself one of those."

I smiled and shook my head. "Keep dreaming nee-chan, keep dreaming."

We looked at a few alarm clocks, and found one that was a black cat. It looked exactly like Luna, except it had no crescent moon.

Serena wanted to buy it, and the clerk said it was quite a fortune, but for her it was ninety percent off. She looked in her wallet and discovered she only had ten dollars.

I sighed. "Nee-chan, sometimes I swear you'd lose your_ head_ if it weren't attached."

"How about I come and get you on my way to school." Amy suggested.

I grinned mischievously. "Or I could dump a bucket of cold water on you to make you wake up." I suggested innocently.

She ignored that and hugged Amy. "Thank you!" She cried. "You're the best friend in the whole world!"

After that we walked home, where Mom had something for Serena. She apparently saw it at the mall, and knew it would be perfect for her.

"What could it be?" Serena wondered. "A new blouse, a dress—"

"No Serena, hopefully it'll help you get yourself to school on time." Mom said happily.

I grinned. "An alarm clock." I looked at it. "That's the one Serena was going to get earlier at the mall."

"Got your dad one too." Mom added. "Help him get to work on time."

Later that night, we showed that clock to Luna, who was totally jealous of it, not that she'd admit it. Around midnight though, I got woken up by a light shining from Serena's room. The clock Mom got for her was glowing.

"Huh. Weird. I'll chuck that thing in the morning." I said, and then went back to bed.

The next morning, Serena got up and absolutely rushed to school, much to my surprise. She wasn't the only one. Turned out, everyone was in such a rush. I had no idea why.

Luna came bounding up to us where we waited for Serena at the bus stop, the new alarm clock tied to her back. "Asagi! Amy! I need to talk to you!" She panted. "Something strange is going on. It could be the Negaverse."

"What's that you've got there Luna?" Amy asked.

"Hey, it's that clock that Mom got Serena yesterday. Luna, did you notice it glowing last night?" I asked curiously. "Or was that just a figment of my overactive imagination?"

She shook her head. "No, it wasn't."

We took it to the park, but didn't see anything weird about it.

"I know what I saw." I said stubbornly. "I know it was glowing."

We sat there for a moment, when Luna thought of something. Doing a back flip, a small handheld computer with the sign of Mercury appeared.

"What's this?" Amy asked.

"It's a data computer." Luna answered. "It can analyze just about anything."

"Are you sure? What if Sailor Sun or Neptune Warrior or Moonlight Warrior need it?" Amy protested.

I shook my head. "I'm not as good with computers as you are Amy, and I doubt that Ai is either. Besides, it's got the Mercury sign on it. You should have it. I insist."

"Thanks Asagi, Luna." She said gratefully. "How does it work?"

"Just point it at the alarm clock." Luna replied.

Amy took a piece of the back, and a sphere of some sort flew out. "What was that?"

"I don't know since it flew off before the computer could get a read on it, but it has something to do with the Negaverse, and it's affecting time somehow." I said. "Have you noticed how almost everyone seems to be in a rush? Even Serena got up early today. _Two hours_ early."

We set off to find Serena. We checked all her favorite spots, but she was nowhere to be found. She wasn't even at the video arcade, and that was strange enough by itself. _CRASH!_

A bus crashed into the telephone booth by where we were waiting.

A bunch of people got off, cursing the driver. Serena was one of them.

"Nee-chan?" I asked. "What are you doing here? Oh yeah, got another case."

"Alright, let's go!" Serena declared.

I looked at her, surprised. "What's the rush?"

"I'm _way_ behind schedule." Serena answered. "I've still got to do all my homework, have my favorite snack, read my comic books—"

I sighed. "Calm down nee-chan. You know, I'm surprised we haven't seen Darien yet. He always seems to appear before we have a battle with a Negaverse goon."

"Doesn't matter." My nee-chan said dismissively. "Let's go! Sun Prism Power!"

I sighed and called Ai on my communicator. "Hey Ai, come on. We've got a battle, and Serena's extremely inpatient."

"What, seriously?" My longtime friend asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, so get over here. We're about to go in."

"Okay. I'll see you in just a few minutes. Until then, try to keep your nee-chan from busting in." Ai said. "See ya in a minute."


	12. Some Things Never Change

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twelve: Some Things Never Change<p>

_Asagi_

Ai arrived a minute later. "Okay, I'm ready. Shall we transform?"

I nodded. "Probably. Moon Prism Power!" I yelled, drawing my sword only after making sure no one else was around.

"Sun Prism Power!"

"Mercury Power!"

"By the power of the nitwit!"

After all of us transformed, Serena threw her tiara at the entrance to the clock store. "Sun Tiara Magic!" She declared and a hole large enough for the four of us to run though appeared. The four of us ran through the hole. Luna tried to follow, but the hole closed before she could run through, and hit herself on the door.

We run through the darkened hallway.

"There's the door!" Ami said.

I ran past the others and shoved the door open.

"Welcome back." The woman sneered.

"Time's up for you and your clocks lady!" Serena bellowed. "I'm Sailor Sun!"

"I'm Sailor Mercury!"

"We're the champions of justice!" They said declared together.

I sighed as the woman snorted. "Oh please, do you really think that scares me, you two little nosey pipsqueaks."

"I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil, and _that_ means you!" Serena finished.

I looked at Ai, who smirked. "We are the half demon swordsmen who defend the innocent. When darkness falls and evil preys upon our home, we will be there, poised to strike. We will defend our homes and everyone in them. We're the Seven Swordsman of the Moon, and we'll destroy you because that's a promise by the moon!" We added in unison, using our traditional introduction, which I still thought was much more inspired and of course original then Serena's.

I didn't wait for anything, and instead, decided to put my bow to good use. "Serena, Ai, Ami, out of the way! Go! Arrow of the Moon!"

The monster dodged. I fired another arrow.

"Advance to the hour of midnight." She/it/whatever ordered the grandfather clock behind her. The clock lit up, and a portal of some kind appeared. Ugly went through the portal with a final parting shot. "Follow me girls, if you dare."

"Ready?" Serena asked.

"Yes!" Ami said. "Let's clean her clock."

We raced into the portal after her to find some weird clock world. Then again, what did I expect? The portal was in a clock, and the latest situation had to do with time.

"Let's split up, okay? Hurry!" Serena barked.

I snorted. "I believe you're forgetting who the leader is here."

"Who made you leader?"

"Luna." I answered coolly. "And Sensei for that matter. One, I was awakened first. Two, I'm more dedicated than you are. And three, I'm more of a fighter than you are. Not to mention I'm a _better_ fighter than you are."

Serena huffed. "Fine."

"Yes, and we can't just walk into this. We need to make a plan." Ami added.

"There's no time!" Serena shouted. "Come out here you coward! We don't have time to chase you all over this place!"

I groaned. "Nee-chan, you'll be our downfall."

I heard a sinister laugh. "I'll tell you exactly where to find me if you think you're brave enough." Ugly sneered.

"Forget it, I'll just follow your voice." Serena huffed.

I groaned again. "Serena, you realize this could be a trap, right? Mercury, use your visor."

"Got it. Serena, wait up!"

My sister had taken off running, trying to find the monster and defeat it. She kicked open a door. "Where could she be?"

"I'm getting a reading over there." Ami replied. "Don't you think we should go back and let Luna in?"

"No way." Serena said confidently, almost cocky if you asked me. Still it was a change from her normal behavior, so I let it slide because she was actually taking Sailor business seriously. "I wanna show her that for once I know what I'm doing."

"Well that's a first." I muttered under my breath.

"Okay." Ami said bringing out her computer. "Lets analyze this."

"Where'd you get that?" Ai asked curiously. "I've never seen it before."

"Luna gave it to me." The dark blue haired girl replied. "It's my data computer."

"So you haven't give up yet." The monster commented.

"Of course not." Serena scoffed. "I'm Sailor Sun-" The rest of what she was going to say was cut off because she started shrinking. Then she un-shrunk. "Good, it's not permanent." My nee-chan said, relieved.

"I don't know how she's doing it, but she's controlling time." Ami announced. "She can make it go forwards, or backwards, or anything she wants."

"So she could make us old as well?" Ai asked.

Ami didn't reply.

"Hold it. I'm sure I just saw Tuxedo Mask's aura." I said. "I'd know his aura anywhere. Solid dark green, like the stems of the roses he throws."

_Guess now is as good a time as any to test our my new flute. Maybe it'll lead him to us._

_Flashback_

"Asagi, I want you to stay behind for a minute." Sensei barked at the end of last week's lesson. "I have something for you. My brother dropped it off yesterday, said it was for the Moonlight Warrior, who he knew I was teaching."

I blinked. "Sesshomaru? I thought you two hated eachother."

"We do." Sensei growled. "I don't know why he gave it to me. Just take it. It's got some magical powers, but I don't know what they are, so it's up to you to figure that out."

I nodded. "Got it sensei." I said after accepting the flute and ran to catch up with Serena.

_End flashback_

I raised the flute to my lips and began to play.

"Hey, what are you doing Asagi?" Ai asked curiously. "Is that what Sensei wanted to see you about after last class?"

I nodded and continued playing.

"Hey, I think I've found the exit." Ami announced.

"Cool." Ai said.

"Yes, it sure is, but let's just hope I'm reading it right." She said worriedly.

"Great, so can we get going?" Serena demanded.

"Right, we need to go north/north east, which is that way." She pointed. "So let's stick together."

I stopped playing the flute, put it away, and ran after Ami, Ai, and Serena.

"I thought I was going to have to come and find you. This is the end for you Sailor girls." The monster sneered.

"No way, not 'till you're back where you belong." Serena declared and charged forward.

But suddenly, she stopped and fell down. She tried in vain to get up.

"We're in trouble." Ami said needlessly.

"I've frozen time just for you girls, and now all that's left is to decide which of you girls will get zapped first." The monster explained with a smirk.

I pursed my lips, but it was Ai who delivered a challenge. "I won't be affected like Serena. Hey Ugly, fight me! Your staff against my sword."

I smirked. The staff wouldn't have a _chance_ against Ai's giant meat cleaver. The monster didn't answer, and instead shot a beam of energy at Ami, which froze her.

A ball of energy appeared, and the spell on Serena and Ami wore off.

"Hey, I can move again! Mercury bubbles- blast!"

"Huh? Where'd they go?"

"Hey, are you okay?" Ai asked as she helped Serena up.

Serena nodded. "Yeah, the only problem is I can't see where she went."

"Just aim for the two dots." Ami instructed.

"Right." Serena and I said in unison, taking off our tiaras. "Eclipse Tiara Magic!"

As usual, the monster was vaporized.

We de-transformed and the clock store disappeared.

"Hey, we did it!" I cheered. "Hey Luna, we did it! And for once, Serena was the one who wanted to the most."

"Wow, I don't ever want to _see_ another alarm clock." Serena commented as we walked home. "I may even give up shopping."

I snorted. "Yeah right. That'll happen the day I'm not a half demon." I disagreed. The day Serena gave us shopping would be the day the world came to an end.

"Hey, Serena come quick!" Molly shouted excitedly as she ran up to the four of us. "The shoe store's having a mega sale, you gotta come quick! It's two for one!"

Serena started to run, but tripped and hurt herself, and so of course she started wailing.

"Well, I knew it wouldn't last forever." Luna said. "But at least she's back to normal."

"I'll say." Ai laughed. "Nobody's clumsier than your nee-chan Asagi. And I _mean_ no one. I'm not quite sure how she's gone so long without seriously hurting herself because of what a klutz she is."

I laughed. "Yeah, that's for sure. Still, I'm glad she's back to normal." I replied. "Here Serena, let me help you up."

Serena paid me no mind, and just kept on wailing.

I sighed. "Some things never change."


	13. Disappearing Busses?

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirteen: Disappearing Busses?<p>

_Asagi_

"Roku, Dai, the rules please?" Sensei asked a couple days after the clock store incident.

They smirked. "Of course Sensei." They answered in unison. They did that a lot. "The rules are: you will not whine."

"We will not whine." The rest of us parroted back.

"You will act like you are smart."

"We will act like we are smart." We repeated.

"You will not be arrogant."

"We will not be arrogant."

"You will not be late to class."

"We will not be late to class."

"And finally, InuYasha's word is law."

"InuYasha's word is law."

"Serena, Amy your report cards." Sensei barked as Shion, Ai, Roku, Dai, Shiori and I all handed up our report cards. "Let's see them."

Serena sighed. "Yes InuYasha-sensei."

By now she'd learned that it was impossible to argue with Sensei. For one, it was just plain stupid, and another, it just got _everyone_ extra conditioning, and for yet another it just made all of us extremely pissed at her. Sensei looked at our report cards. "Asagi, you need to get your math grade up, though I don't blame you for not doing well. Math is my hardest subject as well. Dai, Roku, you two aren't doing well enough in Japanese. Are you two just incredibly lazy?"

"Um, sorry Sensei?" They tried.

InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Please. Ai, work on gym. I don't see how you're doing badly in that class." He commented.

Ai blushed. "Sorry Sensei, but it's too easy compared to what you have us do, and every time I ask the teacher to make it harder, she docks points." She explained.

InuYasha-sensei rolled his eyes. He continued naming off everything that people needed to work on. Serena needed to bring _all_ her grades up, whereas Amy didn't need to work on anything except gym.

On our way home from training, a bunch of police cars blared by.

"Wonder what that's all about?" I asked curiously.

Serena shrugged, when we spotted Amy. "Hey, Amy!" She called.

"Hi Serena. Oh Luna!" Amy said cheerfully as Luna ran up to her.

"Wanna go to the arcade?" Serena asked eagerly.

"Sorry, I can't. I've got too much homework." Amy apologized.

"Don't you have some of that too Serena?" Luna asked dryly from her place in Amy's arms. She probably did.

Serena laughed nervously. "Nothing that can't wait."

I sighed. "I'm going to the arcade anyway to get a milkshake. Come with me if you want. Training was pretty rough today."

"Where are they all going?" Serena wondered.

"Hey you guys!" Molly called as she walked over to us.

"You guys won't believe what's happening." One Serena's friends added.

"What?" I asked curiously. "What's happening?"

"All those cops are heading to the Sacred Temple on Cherry Hill." She explained. "Supposedly a bus disappeared near there. It picked up a bunch of people, and then poof. It vanished into thin air. And you know what I heard? The news said this wasn't the first time that his has happened. The police are trying to keep it quiet. They're scared people will freak out."

"The Sacred Temple's really nice." Amy commented.

"I've never been." Molly admitted.

"Well I'm not about to start going there now." Serena announced. "Not with people disappearing and stuff. I'll stick to the video arcade thank you."

"I heard you can get these good luck charms for really cheap there, and they bring you good luck in everything." Molly squealed.

"Even getting a boyfriend Serena." The other girl added.

"Really? Let's go." Serena cheered.

"Do you think you could pick one up for me too?" Amy asked hesitantly.

"Huh? Got a secret crush Amy?" Serena teased.

"Oh no, not at all." Amy replied. "I've got too much going on. I just wanted them to bring me some good luck on the extra credit essays I wrote, and in training."

I grinned. "Yeah, that's a good thing to want good luck for." I agreed. So together we walked to the temple. Ai was dressed in a typical priestess's outfit, sweeping the grounds. "Ai?" I said curiously. "Do you work here or something?"

Ai smiled sheepishly and shook her head, blushing a bit. "Nope. Guess I forgot to tell you I live here." She explained.

"Ah, back already?" A short old man asked. "I bet you want more charms, right? Don't miss your bus. Better go."

"Grandpa." A girl about the same age as Serena sighed. "Why won't you ever wear your glasses?" This seemed to be an ongoing argument.

"Don't you already know the answer to that nee-chan?" Ai sighed. "He claims-"

"Because I don't need them." The old man answered, cutting Ai off.

"Those aren't even the same girls Grandpa." Ai scolded.

"And you say you don't need glasses." The other girl sighed.

I felt something evil. It felt a lot like Jedite, actually.

I closed my eyes. "Breath in, and hold it for seven beats." I recited under my breath, sure that Ai was doing the same. "Now breath out and hold it for seven beats again." I saw Serena's gold aura, Ai's aqua blue aura, a fiery red aura overlaid with the symbol of Mars (could she possibly be Sailor Mars?) from the girl Ai called her nee-chan, a dark red with a vaguely evil feeling from the old man, and Jedite's familiar red overlaid with black aura. "Jedite's here." I hissed under my breath. Ray, Ai's older sister, accidentally threw a sutra on Serena, and she passed out because of it. We took her into a room where Ray tended to her.

"Miss Ray," A familiar voice said as the door opened.

My eyes narrowed. "Jedite." I hissed.

He ignored me. "Here are the bandages you wanted."

"Thanks, just leave them at the door." Ray thanked.

I looked at Ray, and at Ai. "You know, I never knew that you lived here Ai." I commented, looking around.

Ai blushed. "Yeah, I know. I guess that's because I didn't want to be treated like a freak or something. And of course, I can't be a priestess because of what I am, so Ray and I go to different schools."

"He's so cute." Molly simpered.

I made a gagging sound. "Spare me." I said rolling my eyes.

"Cute, where?" Serena asked excitedly, bolting upright.

I sighed. "No one nee-chan. A red and black aura-d enemy." I whispered in her ear.

"Who was that hunk?" Molly asked, her curiosity mixed with excitement.

"That's Jed." Ray replied. "Our new caretaker."

"I don't like him." Ai added. "Grandpa used to run everything, but he isn't able to do it much anymore 'cause he's gotten so old."

"I wish I were finished with school, so I could help out more myself." Ray finished.

"I don't like him." Ai said again. "He sure doesn't smell human."

I shot Ai a look, and she shut up.

"Sorry about that." Ray apologized to Serena. "You're sure nothing's broken?"

"Uh, I don't think so." Serena answered, confused.

I sighed. "In that case, let's go. Homework, _remember_, Serena?"

Serena pouted. "I know that if I don't say alright fine and go do it, you're gonna keep bugging me until I do, so alright, let's go. See ya Ai. See you at the Dojo next week."


	14. Sailor Mars Revealed

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Fourteen: Sailor Mars Revealed<p>

_Asagi_

A woman shoved the door open and burst in angrily. "Where's my daughter?" She demanded. "She said she was coming up here to buy some good luck charms, and she hasn't come home. She was supposed to take the bus, and now I heard that it disappeared. I want to know where my daughter is."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know." Ray said defensively. "We get tons of people up here every day. We can't be responsible for making sure they catch the bus home."

"Besides, what makes you think we had something to do with it?" Ai added angrily. "Why don't you go and talk to the police? They've been all over our temple looking for these missing busses."

"Why you impernant little—"

"Please," Ray interrupted. "I'm asking you nicely to please leave."

"Serena, Asagi, I'm getting really strange vibrations around here." Luna said later, after we'd reached the steps. "I think you'd better go get Amy to help us. Maybe Ai as well."

I shook my head. "No, that might reveal her as being one of the Swordsman, and Ray probably doesn't know. If I came and dragged her off to do something, it might be suspicious to Ray."

"True." Luna admitted.

"But I wanna buy a charm." Serena whined.

I clenched and unclenched my fists. "Serena, for the love of Kami!" I exploded, using my favorite phrase. "What do you care about more, charms or the fact that our friend's family might be in danger?"

Serena sighed. "Oh alright Asagi, you win."

So we went go get Amy and headed to the bus stop where the bus disappeared.

"This is where the bus disappeared." Luna announced. "Look for anything fishy."

I looked around and something caught my attention. "Hey, look at all those people." I said with a frown. "What are they all doing here?"

"They've all got good luck charms from the temple." Luna noted.

"They all look so out of it." Amy worriedly.

"I want the same charm that they got." Serena announced.

I sighed. "Serena, you're already out of it enough."

"No, I'm not out of it I'm _daydreaming_." Serena protested. "Hey, do you think Andrew is Tuxedo Mask?"

I snorted. "I doubt it. Their auras don't match. Andrew's is brown and white, whereas Tuxedo Mask's is dark green, like the stems of the roses she throws." I said, shooting down her daydream when the bus came.

"There's the bus." Amy said. "That's the same number as the one that disappeared."

"Serena, it's time to get on." Luna prompted.

I sighed. "Don't tell me you're too chicken." I grumbled and pushed her towards the bus.

"But she's too scary!" Serena objected fearfully.

_Breathe in and hold it for seven beats._ I recited in my head, trying not to lose my temper at her. _Breathe out, and hold it for seven beats again._

She hugged the post as the lady turned to look at her. "I don't wanna!" Serena wailed.

While the driver sent shivers down my spine, at least I wasn't hugging the post wailing.

"Don't you want to find out if there really is something to these disappearing busses?" Amy asked. The bus's doors closed and it drove off. "So much for that." Amy sighed.

"Serena why are you such a wimp?" Luna groaned.

"I'm not!" Serena cried.

I put a pinky in my ear. "Yikes that's loud." I groaned. "We should measure that on the decimal scale sometime."

Luna suddenly gasped. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"If you're seeing a bus suddenly lifting up and disappearing into some black hole, then yes I'm seeing what you're seeing." I replied, shocked. "I'll go get Ai."

I ran up the steps to the temple.

"Asagi?" Ai asked curiously. "What's the rush?"

I panted as I stopped in front of her. "It's the busses! The rumors about them disappearing are really true. Swordsmen time."

She nodded. "Got it! Neptune Prism Power!"

"Moon Prism Power!"

As usual, the ribbons surrounded my body, forming the dark blue tunic, white belt string, white mask, white hair tie, and tiara.

I heard a gasp behind us. "Asagi? Ai? You guys are Swordsman?" We nodded.

"Yeah, we sure are nee-chan." Ai replied. "Oh, here take this. I found it while I was sweeping the grounds."

Ai handed Ray a red and gold stick, and exact replica of Amy's, except it was red instead of blue, and had the symbol of Mars instead of Mercury.

"Thanks little sister." Ray said, confused. "What's it for?"

"You'll see." I replied with a wink. "Come on Ai. We've got to get back to Amy and Serena, before something bad happens."

The next sixty six bus had come and Luna was trying to convince Serena to get on it.

"It's your duty you know." She was saying. I nearly snorted. Yeah. Like the whole 'duty' thing was gonna work on Serena. The day Serena took Sailor business seriously would be the day Sensei stopped being a sadist.

Serena groaned. "This is such a stupid waste of time. I should have been doing my _homework_."

I raised an eyebrow. "Well now nee-chan. That's a first."

"I'll say." Ai agreed.

"Here it comes." Luna warned. "And this time, we're not going to miss it."

"I don't care if I have to drag you on; we're getting on that bus." I agreed. Serena, again, hugged the pole. I looked at Ai, who nodded. We grabbed her arms and dragged her to the bus.

"If only I had a disguise." Serena sighed.

I rolled my eyes. "But you _do_ have a disguise baka-nee-chan. The Luna Pen, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Disguise Power! Change me into a flight attendant!" Serena declared and passed the pen to me.

"Disguise Power! Change me into a bus driver!" I added before I passed it to Ai.

"Disguise Power! Change me into a bus driver!"

"Wow, does this make me look official or what?" Serena asked as she looked at herself.

"Too bad it's not an airplane." Luna complained.

"It's good enough." Serena huffed. "Come on." She jumped on the bus, me and Ai right behind her. I hoped beyond hope that Amy and Ray (by now I was sure she was Sailor Mars, especially with that stick Ai gave her) would show up soon.

"Bus driver, you are going to have to pull over." Serena declared. "Because this bus is under arrest for making totally bogus runs. I said stop!" She exclaimed as the bus's doors shut and it began to move.

"Aw hell." I cursed as we disappeared through the black hole.

We passed into some strange dimension, and the bus kicked us out when it landed.

"What the hell?" I grumbled. "Why'd it kick us off?"

Another black hole appeared, and through, Ray fell and was grabbed by the driver. We watched, horrified, as the driver turned into a monster.

"You've got to become Sailor Sun and the Swordsmen, now." Luna prompted over Serena's usual wailing.

"Okay," Serena declared as she stood up. "I'm ready."

I resisted the urge to smack her as she raised her hand into the air.

"Sun Prism Power!"

"Neptune Prism Power!"

"Moon Prism Power!"

When we were finished transforming, Serena took the opportunity to launch into her speech. "I am Sailor Sun, the champion of justice. On behalf of the sun, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and _that_ means _you_."

"Oh so you think you're a tough cookie too, eh?" Monster-teme drawled.

She put a hand to the jewel of her tiara. Obviously, she was going to throw it. "Sun Tiara Magic!" She cried as she hurled it at the monster.

"Moon Tiara Magic!"

"Neptune Tiara Magic!" Our tiaras missed the first time, but Ray's crows dove down and attacked monster-teme as they circled back.

Unfortunately, she grabbed them. However, that gave me a brilliant idea. "Tiaras, expand and trap her!" I commanded.

The tiaras expanded and bound the monster.

"Nee-chan, are you alright?" Ai asked worriedly as she knelt by her sister. "Do you still have that stick I gave you?"

"What's going on here?" Ray asked, panicked.

"I'll explain later, but right now we need that stick if you still have it." Luna interrupted.

Ray reached into her shirt and retrieved the aforementioned stick. "You mean this?"

"It's your own special power stick." Luna explained. "Hold it up, and say 'Mars Power,' and hurry!"

Monster-teme managed to throw the tiara-rings off herself. I nocked an arrow and pointed it at her to by some time for Ray to transform.

"I've had just about enough of that monster!" Ray declared. "Mars Power!"

"Wow, Ray is a Sailor Scout too?" Serena gasped.

I rolled my eyes and fired. "Go! Arrow of the Moon! Get her!"

"You messed with the wrong people you ugly slime face!" Ray and Ai declared in unison. "Mars Fire Ignite and Neptune Slash!"

The monster was disintegrated, but the black hole began to close. We had to hurry and get out or we'd be trapped, forever. "Look!" Luna gasped as a blue beam of light shone through the black hole. "Something's coming through!"

"It's got to be Mercury!" I realized. "She's using her power to keep the black hole from closing, let's go!"

"Hey there, Sailor Ladies and Gentle Swordsmen." Tuxedo Mask teased from the driver's seat of one of the busses. "Going my way?'

I grinned. "Why yes in fact we are, thank you."

He drove the hooked together busses out of the wormhole. We saw Amy kneeling on the ground, holding her stick.

"It's Amy!" I exclaimed as I waved. "Amy, thanks!"

We all climbed out of the bus and ran to Amy. "Group hug!" Ai declared. "You saved us Amy, thanks!"

Amy laughed. "You're welcome Ai-chan. Glad to help."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Tuxedo Mask smile at all of us, though his smile seemed to linger on me for just a second longer than everyone else, and then he vanished without a trace. "How does he _do_ that?" I wondered. "He smiled at us one last time, and then vanished."

Serena rounded on Ray. "I saw the way you looked at him!"

I groaned as Ray blushed. "Hey, I just wanted to see who saved us and thank him!" She defended. "He's yours, no need to spaz out on me. Still, if he liked you so much, why didn't he stick around?"

I rolled my eyes. "Hate to break it to you both, but I don't think he likes either of you. For a while now, he and I have been exchanging letters, actually. Don't know how the find eachother, but somehow they do."

Serena gasped. "What, seriously?"

I nodded. "Yup. Mostly just thanks, can't wait to see you again, because I have the strangest feeling we've met somewhere outside of Sailor and Swordsmen business." Of course, I conveniently neglected to mention that I had a pretty big crush on him myself, but what Serena and Ray didn't know, wouldn't hurt me.


	15. Dreamland Amusement Park

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Fifteen: Dreamland Amusement Park<p>

_Asagi_

Me, Roku (Amy told him about the meeting so he decided to tag along) Serena, Ray, and Amy were holding another meeting at the temple, and Serena and Ray were about to have another argument. Personally, I was about to ask Luna if I had any power over an element that I could make solid, because if I did, I was gonna strangle the pair of them with said element. They were driving me _insane!_

"Luna, what are my powers exactly?" I asked with a sigh, giving in to the temptation.

"Well, you can control moonlight, you're an expert swordsman and archer, and you can control shadows." She responded. "Why?"

I grinned wickedly. "Thank you, that was all I needed." I brought my hands into the Rat seal. "Shadow Strangulation."

My shadow reached out and connected with theirs, and then choked Serena and Ray.

Roku whistled. "Impressive Asagi-chan." He praised.

I beamed. "Thank you. Now Serena, you may be my nee-chan, and Ray, you may be one of my best friends' nee-chan, but seriously, you're both acting like brats, fighting over a book." I reprimanded. "Now stop fighting, or I'll strangle you with the shadows again."

They both nodded quickly.

"Guys, let's get out of here, we're going to drive eachother crazy." Amy suggested.

"Amen to that Amy." Ai agreed.

"Don't you have homework?" Serena asked, surprised.

Amy shook her head. "Nope, I just got myself ten chapters ahead."

"Where do you wanna go then?" I asked curiously.

Amy pulled out a newspaper and set it on the table. "How about Dreamland?"

"That just opened a few days ago, right?" Luna asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, but unfortunately they seem to be having a few problems. They think people might be disappearing from the park." Amy explained. "It might be the Negaverse."

I sighed. "Isn't it always?"

But, nonetheless, we went to Dreamland, where there was a big crowd. The guard at the door (read: Jedite) assured everyone that the disappearances were just a rumor started by their competition. We entered the park and started to look around.

"So, where should we start investigating first?" Ray asked.

I sighed. "Count me _out_, thank you very much." I said crossly, folding my arms over my chest. "I'm hungry, and I think I'm gonna actually enjoy myself here. It seems like it's been a while since that happened without we-know-who showing up and ruining our fun. Besides, it doesn't take five people to investigate."

Ai nodded. "Yeah, I think that just a few of us should be enough. Go ahead and have fun. I'll search extra hard for you."

I smiled gratefully. "Thanks a million Ai. Man do I owe you one." I stopped. "Hey, when was the last time anyone saw my nee-chan?"

Ray frowned. "When we passed the Merry-go-round back there."

I rubbed my temples. "I'll deal with Serena, just don't start arguing, okay?"

Ray shot me a grateful smile. "Great, thanks. I don't wanna have to deal with Serena."

I went back to the Merry-go-round and dragged Serena back to the others once it was done. "Serena, please. You could have at least told us where you were going."

"Sorry Imouto-chan." She apologized. "I just wanted to have fun."

I rubbed my temples again. "You and me both, but a few of us have to investigate."

"I've got an idea." Roku announced. "And I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Since there are six of us, I think that we should split in half, and three of us should look for awhile, while three of us relax and have fun." He proposed. "Sound good?"

I grinned. "Does it ever. So, who's first?"

"How about me, you and Ray?" Roku suggested.

I looked at him curiously. "Why the three of us?"

He looked pointedly at Serena and Ray. "If those two are in the same group, chaos will ensue." He explained.

I snorted. "Good point. Okay, how does that sound Ray?"

She grinned. "That sounds great, let's go." So for the next hour, we rode the rollercoasters at Roku's insistence, we went on whatever rides caught our attention, and got something to eat.

We reunited with Serena's group to find them cowering before a lion.

I sighed. "It's not a real lion Serena." I grumbled. "They wouldn't have it here if it was, since there's the off chance that it would attack someone.

"That's right." A woman agreed laughing. "He's just a remote controlled toy."

Serena suddenly turned into a fangirl basically. "You're that dream princess!" She exclaimed happily. "I saw you on TV."

"Are you sure he's safe?" Amy asked apprehensively.

The princess smiled at us. "Yes. All of our animals are. Watch." She waved her hand over the apple she was carrying. So, that must have been the remote. Weird shape for a remote. Animals of all sorts emerged from the bushes.

"See?" She asked with a smile.

"Look at them all!" Serena exclaimed. "They're so cute!"

I sighed. "Fangirl." I grumbled under my breath. "Serena, if you haven't forgotten, it's your turn to have fun while my group does the research we need."

"I'm getting weird vibrations from her." Ray whispered as a brown bear flipped Serena onto its back. Ray frowned and marched over to my sister and then jerked her off the bear.

"Ray, don't be so harsh." I scolded. "If you haven't forgotten, like I just barely told my nee-chan, it's her group's turn to have fun. How she has said fun is none of our business. We'll do the research now. Come on." Before she could object, I dragged her away. "You're making the princess suspicious." I told her when we were out of hearing. "You've got to act normally, not like you're Sailor Mars. Cool? If she _is _from the Negaverse, you acting strangely might clue her in that we're part of the Sailor Team."

Ray sighed. "Yeah, cool." She replied before we got down to work.


	16. Working Together

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Sixteen: Working Together<p>

_Asagi_

Later, we were observing the princess. Roku had gone off to do something, probably ride another rollercoaster.

Ray ran forward. "Stop it!" She cried as a boy went to get on one of the robotic animals.

I grabbed her. "Ray!" I hissed softly. "Cool your jets, for the love of Kami! You're making the princess suspicious. Remember, you're Hino Ray, not Sailor Mars. She might be a Negaverse monster, and we can't let them figure out who we are."

She sighed. "You're right Asagi, sorry."

I nodded. "Let's go to another part of the park." I suggested. "I'm hungry again."

Ray rolled her eyes. "You half demons and your stomachs." She teased.

I grinned. "Hey, it's not my fault that I've got a high metabolic rate coupled with all the exercise I get, so basically I get to have my cake and eat it too." I countered. "Hey, let's take the train. I'm sure you're tired of all this walking."

Ray nodded. "Alright then."

So we got on the train, me sitting in front of Ray on the last car there was.

The train skidded to a halt, and I slammed into the person in front of me. "Oh, sorry about that." I apologized. "Didn't mean to do that at all." The person turned around to reveal that it was Darien. "Darien." I said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Not much, honestly. I just wanted to have a little fun, since I've been busy with school and some other things lately." He looked around. "Where's Meatball Head?"

I snorted. "What is it with you and antagonizing my sister?" I asked, fighting a laugh as the train started again. "We split up, since a certain two _someones_ can seem to get along." I jerked my thumb at Ray. "Difference in personalities I suppose."

Darien grinned. "Well tell her I'll antagonize her the next time I see her."

"_Attention,_" Someone announced over the park's loudspeaker. "_The sweet dream party is about to begin._" I didn't care, but we had to investigate the princess, so I figured we may as well go.

"We should probably go there if we want to find my sister." I declared. "That's probably where she'll be."

"Hey Asagi," Ray whispered. "Doesn't that guy kinda remind you of Tuxedo Mask?"

I looked at Darien. "Who, Darien? Now that you mention it, he kind of does."

Closing my eyes, I fell into the familiar breathing pattern, and Darien's aura flared. It was green, just like Tuxedo Mask's.

_No. Freaking. Way._ I breathed mentally. _I don't believe this! Darien is Tuxedo Mask! I'm going to have to figure out a way to contact him in my dreams tonight. Well, or I'll send him a letter and tell him who _I _am. Still I won't do it in front of Ray and Serena. _Turns out, Serena had gone on a ride at the last minute and was late for the party, while Ami and was already inside.

"Boo!" Roku declared, startling me. "Did you miss me?"

I sighed. "Roku, Roku, go away, bother me some other day." I shot back. We tried to pull the doors open, but they were locked.

"No!" Serena wailed. "I must get in!"

I sighed and slapped her upside the head. "Quite wailing nee-chan." I scolded.

"But I want a cookie!" Serena retorted.

"Think how my nee-chan feels _trapped_ in there!" Roku added.

"Why must you all be so mean?" Serena whined. "I doubt you even have any feelings."

"Yes, we do, and right now we're angry!" Ray grumbled.

"Would you two stop it?!" I exploded. "Come on! We've got to get those doors open."

"Transform everyone, and fast!" Luna commanded.

I nodded. "Okay, got it!" I turned to Roku. "Roku, this is probably a good time for you to join us. You know what to do?"

He nodded. "Yup."

"Great." I said.

"Mars Power!" Ray shouted.

"Sun Prism Power!" Serena added.

I drew my sword. "Moon Prism Power!"

"Neptune Prism Power!"

"By the power of the numbskull!"

I sighed after I was done transforming. "Now why doesn't that surprise me?" I remarked. "Anyway, we've gotta get that door open. Mars, Ares," I pointed to the door. "I'll let you have your way."

Roku grinned and mock bowed. "Thank you!" He said before his sword ignited.

Ray formed a fireball. "Mars Fireball Ignite!"

"Fire Sword, charge!"

Their combined fire was enough to burn down the doors. We ran inside, where we were stopped by the Dream Princess.

"I've been waiting for you." She said with a sinister smile. She blew some sort of red fog at us and we appeared in a meadow.

"This is probably an illusion." I said as the princess handed a wreath of flowers to Serena. "Ares, destroy it!"

"Hai Taicho!" Roku declared with a mock salute. "Fire Sword, charge!"

He destroyed it as Ray pushed Serena out of the way and wound up getting bitten.

"Hey, fire won't hurt you, right Mars?" Roku asked. "Because I've got an idea. Fire Sword, charge! Break that spell!"

He slammed his Saxe knife down onto Ray's stone hand. The stone shattered.

"Good job Ares." Ai praised. "You! Get us out of here!"

"As you wish dear." The princess replied with a bow. "I'm afraid the princess must leave." She pulled her head into her body and began to spin.

"Okay, now that's just gross." I said, tempted to vomit.

The princess turned into a darker version of herself. Her head reappeared. "Hello." She said in a robotic voice. "I'm your dream dolly. Do you want to play?"

"She's so cute!" Serena exclaimed.

I groaned. "Sun-nee-chan, _get a grip!_ She's a monster, remember?"

"Oh yeah." She said. "This dream's _over!_ We know who you are, and what you're up to!"

"You want me to blast her?" Ray offered.

Serena shook her head. "No, this one's mine!" She declared. "I am Sailor Sun, and _you,_ Monster-teme, are dust!"

"Dust? Really?" DD (dream dolly) asked in her robotic voice. "I think you're wrong about that Miss Sun."

Her mouth opened and she spat some of that mist stuff at us.

"Another illusion." I deduced.

"So how do we get out?" Ai asked. I looked at Roku, who had an evil smirk on his face.

_Oh no._ I thought. _Why am I suddenly fearing for my sanity?_

"Someone's coming!" Luna announced. "Remember, it's a dream, and it's probably an illusion." I automatically grabbed my sword and prepared to draw it.

From out of the woods, Tuxedo Mask came, riding on a white horse. I sighed as Serena and Ray turned into fangirls. "Oh for the love of Kami." I grumbled, tempted to whack both of them upside the head. They ran up to the fake Tuxedo Mask and climbed on his horse.

Making a split second decision, I formed the Rat seal. "Shadow Possession." I announced. The horse stopped in its tracks.

"Nice thinking Moonlight Warrior." Luna praised. "Neptune, Ares, if you would?"

They grinned. "Of course we would Luna."

The illusion disappeared before they could do anything. I looked up to the window, where a certain crush of mine stood. "Sailor Scouts," He said. "You mustn't let her trap you inside anymore dreams."

He swirled his cape and left, but not before, in another language of course, I hissed; "_Meet me tonight. I know who you are, and I promise on my honor, I'll show you who I am too._" I promised. He nodded, almost unnoticeably, and left.

DD opened her mouth again and was about to shoot that red mist at us, when we dodged it. We ran to the room where everyone was being held.

"Amy, are you okay?" Roku asked his sister.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered.

"Great, because we need Mercury." I said.

Ami nodded and raised her transformation pen into the air. "Right. Mercury Power!" In a flash, she transformed into Sailor Mercury. "You all set Sailor Team?" She asked.

"Ready!" We answered.

"Mercury Bubbles, blast!"

"Neptune Mist, appear!"

DD looked around. "Where are they?"

"Up here!" Ray declared and slapped one of her sutras on DD's forehead. "That'll stop you in your tracks!"

"Time to finish her off!" Serena and I declared, taking off our tiaras for our usual finish. "Eclipse Tiara Magic!"

"Fire Sword, charge!"

"Mars Fireball Ignite!"

The flames surrounded our tiaras, and destroyed DD, making the dream castle disappear.

_Later_

"See what happens when you work together?" Luna lectured.

"Spare us Luna," I begged. "They're not gonna listen." Sure enough, Ray and Serena had gotten into another fight.

"Meatball Head!" Ray taunted (she got it from Darien I suppose) as Serena chased after her, making Serena spill her ice cream.

"My ice cream!" Serena sobbed.

I sighed. "Serena, I'll buy you a new one, but _please_ stop fighting with Ray."


	17. Date With Darien

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Seventeen: Date With Darien<p>

_Asagi_

"This is the holiday you cannot miss," Some TV commercial announced. "Romance, music, good food, dancing under the stars. It's all yours on our sunset romance cruise ship."

Serena sighed as she watched it. "I wanna go." She said dreamily.

I sighed, not even bothering to remind her that to go you had to have a boyfriend. "Goodnight." I said and went upstairs.

I climbed into bed, hoping beyond hope that Darien understood me and would meet me tonight in my dreams.

_Dream_

_As usual, I was standing on the clouds, and as usual, I was dressed as the Moonlight Warrior. I wasn't sure why I always appeared as the Moonlight Warrior and Darien as Tuxedo Mask, but I wasn't complaining._

"_I'm here." Darien announced. "You know who I am?"_

"_Lose the mask Darien." I said as I took off my own mask. "I checked your aura yesterday, and they match. Before you try to say it's coincidence, no two auras are ever the same, not even identical twins. You have to be him."_

_He sighed and took of the mask. "Okay you got me. So you're Asagi huh? I thought so, since the way you act around Serena and the way Moonlight Warrior acts with Sailor Sun are exactly the same. Does that mean that Serena is Sailor Sun?"_

_I blushed. "Yeah, I guess so, and yes it does mean Serena is Sailor Sun. As for the way I act around her, but can you blame me?"_

_Darien smiled. "No, I can't blame you. So, see you tomorrow?"_

_I grinned. "Count on it."_

_End dream_

The next day at school, Molly had an advertisement for the Sunset Romance Cruise Line out on her desk after class was over. Personally, I thought it might be another Negaverse trap since it just showed up a couple of weeks ago, but I had no proof, and Serena wouldn't listen to me anyway. Luna believed me, but she also wanted me to gather some evidence before I rushed in as the Moonlight Warrior, just in case it was the real deal and not a Negaverse trap.

Serena sighed dreamily for what must have been the millionth time in two weeks. "I wish I had a boyfriend to go on this cruise with."

I groaned. "Give it up nee-chan." I grumbled, as she'd been daydreaming about it ever since she first saw the commercial about two weeks ago. "You _don't_ have a boyfriend, and besides, they're booked for months."

"Yeah, my dad tried to make a reservation, but they said they were booked for months." Molly agreed.

"Ah, my two favorite ladies. Whacha reading?" Melvin asked as he came up to us. He picked up the flyer. "Ah. I can tell you in detail how this liner was built."

"I'd rather take a math test Melvin." Serena said dryly. "Buzz off."

"Gosh, it's a good thing you were looking at this Serena." Melvin said. "I forgot to give my neighbor the free passes for this."

"_You_ got free passes?" Serena wondered, amazed.

"How did you get them Melvin?" Molly added.

"I entered a computer contest on the internet, and that cruise was the first place prize." He explained. That didn't surprise me.

"How come you didn't keep them and invite one of us?!" Serena demanded.

"Sorry," Melvin apologized rubbing the back of his head. "My parents wouldn't let me. I get too seasick. But you might be able to win your own. The news stand downtown has a contest going for a pair of passes."

"Get out of my way!" Serena exclaimed, running out the door.

I shook my head. "One of these days, she's going to hurt herself." I commented idly as I followed her.

"Come on, gold marble." Serena prayed as she turned the thing, only to get a red marble.

"Ah well." The main said, handing her a big thing of soap. "At least you get some consolation soaps."

"Hey Serena." Ray greeted Serena pushed her way through the line again.

"You should check out this new contest." Serena gushed. "The winner gets a pair of free passes to the sunset romance cruise ship."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't see why you want to go so badly." I informed her. "I mean, for one, it's called the sunset _romance_ cruise ship, meaning you have to have a boyfriend."

"Oh? You seem awfully happy." My big sister commented. "You got a boyfriend or something that you're not telling us about?"

My eyes twinkled. "No. But I might have a date."

"No fair!" Serena wailed. "Come on, tell."

I smirked and made a zipping motion over my mouth. "Sorry, my lips are sealed. So Ray, you gonna try out the contest?"

She smirked. "Yeah, if only to rub it in Serena's face."

I sighed. "I wish you two would stop trying to bury the hatchet in eachother's backs." I grumbled as Ray used her powers to get the gold marble. "Oh and Ray?"

She turned away from the stand. "Yes?"

"Don't forget, we've got lessons with InuYasha-sensei in just a few minutes." I reminded.

"Oh yeah." She said sheepishly. "Alright. I'm coming. Can I change at your house?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but remember—"

"I know." She finished for me. "I can't be late. Ever. Ai already told me the Five Golden Rules of the Dog Demon Dojo."

I grinned. "Then come on."

_At the dojo_

"Ray." Sensei said after we'd handed in our report cards. "Or should I call you Sailor Mars? Tell me, how physically fit are you?"

Ray shrugged. "Not nearly as fit as Ai is, but I'm fit enough. I walk to school every morning, and I help sweep the grounds every day."

"Good. Now, three laps around the dojo as a warm up, all of you." He ordered. "And Asagi, I want you after class again."

I nodded. "Hai Sensei."

After we ran the laps, he had us doing sword work. Serena, Ami and Ray were all on a normal long sword, while the rest of us worked on our personalized swords techniques.

InuYasha-sensei me a couple passes for something after class was over. "I want you to take these and investigate that Sunset Romance Cruise ship. I have a bad feeling about it, if you know what I mean. Bring Darien with you."

I blushed. "How'd you know about that Sensei?"

His eyes twinkled. "You're not the only one who has dreams you know."

I raised an eyebrow. "Were you spying on me?"

He beamed. "Why yes I was. Glad you got it. Invite Darien along like I said, and tell him to come to class sometime soon." He ordered. "But don't tell anyone else who he is. I want them to figure it out for themselves."

I nodded. "Okay Sensei, got it. I wasn't planning to tell anyway."

So I tracked my secret crush down, deliberately flaring my aura, and showed him the passes. "Hey Darien." I greeted.

"Asagi." He said with a grin. "Whacha got there? And why are you looking for me? I felt you a mile away. Normally you're a lot more careful with your power."

I grinned sheepishly and held up the tickets. "Two things. One, Sensei says come to class sometime pretty soon. Two, I've got tickets for the Sunset Romance Cruise." I replied. "Believe it or not, Sensei gave em to me because he was suspicious. I guess he thinks it's another Negaverse trap, you know, like the amusement park, the computer school, the good luck charms, the jewelry store, the Love Line, the gym, and the clocks were. So, do we have a date?"

He grinned. "Yup. Asagi-chan, you've got yourself a date."


	18. Appear: Swordsman of Earth

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Eighteen: Appear: Swordsman of Earth<p>

_Asagi_

A day later, I was dressed in the best (and only) dress I had, and Darien was dressed in a suit with a mask over his eyes, probably so that no one would recognize him. My own masked eyes found Ray and Amy.

I blinked. "What are they doing on the ship? I thought it was only for couples."

"Remember, Ray won the tickets for the ship? I felt her power flare yesterday." Darien reminded. "She probably invited Amy so that she wouldn't have to invite Serena. And obviously, she's not gonna invite her grandpa."

I nodded. "That's true." I laughed a bit. "You know, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they figure out that _I'm _the one Sensei told to go on the cruise."

"Probably because he knows about our relationship, and about how, whether we'd admit it or now, we're basically going strong behind everyone's backs." Darien added. "Except his of course. Nothing gets by him I swear."

I shook my head. "Nope, nothing. Believe me, I've tried to keep things from him before. It never worked. Not once."

"Really? That doesn't surprise me." He commented as we sat down. "You know, I'm glad you tracked me down for this Asagi-chan."

I grinned as they brought the food out. "Yeah, me too." I replied. "Technically, it was Sensei's orders though. Somehow he was spying on our dream last night."

Darien put a bite of food in his mouth and swallowed before continuing. "You know, I thought I felt your sister's aura before it was masked by something else."

I raised an eyebrow. "You can sense auras?"

He shrugged. "Well kind of. But it flared for a second, I could barely tell that it was being masked by something."

"The Luna Pen." I realized. "She must be sore about not getting to go, so she used the Luna Pen to disguise herself and snuck on."

"The Luna Pen?"

I sighed as I finished my second porkchop. "Well basically, you hold it up and shout 'disguise power,' and then you say 'change me into' whatever you want it to change you into. Then it does it." I noticed that everyone was staring at someone. I grinned. Darien raised an eyebrow at me, so I pointed.

"Ladies and gentlemen," A woman said over the intercom. "Our spectacular extravaganza will begin in the ballroom in five minutes. You're all invited."

I looked at my date. "Shall we check it out?"

"Let's."

So we went to the ballroom, where everyone waited for the dancing to start.

"Ladies and gentleman welcome to Sunset Romance's twilight extravaganza." One of the crew members said. I checked him and he had no aura. He was a golem of some sort then, animated to look like a crew member for now. "Now, here's our captain and his first mate to get the show underway."

The curtain opened to reveal Jedite and some other woman.

"Welcome all you lovebirds." The woman simpered. "We're going to start off the show with a little bit of black magic."

I looked at Darien, who nodded and disappeared. The woman showed her fingernails, and the started flashing. Then she turned into a monster.

"Romantic energy, electrify." She declared laughing. She began sucking up all the energy, from the couples it looked like. "Are you all having as much fun as I am?"

"Something's wrong." Amy said worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm getting bad vibes." Ray agreed.

I took off my mask and made my way over to them, making sure they couldn't see me until I was right in front of them. "Hey guys."

They both jumped. "Asagi!" They scolded in unison. "Don't _do_ that!"

I grinned. "Sorry, you know I can't resist."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Ray asked after a minute.

"I came here with someone, on Sensei's orders." I replied with an 'I know something you don't,' kind of grin.

"Oh? Who? Serena?" Amy asked.

I snorted. "Please. No, I came here with a date. He's just not here right now." Jedite lost the captain's outfit. "Hey, I knew this was a Negaverse trap!"

"How?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why do you think InuYasha-sensei asked me to come on this cruise?"

"You blew it Titis, now you're going to have to find a way to get rid of them." Jedite was saying to the monster.

"Hey, it's not my fault." Titis, the monster and I assumed creator of the golems, defended. "They came here without dates, and we only took energy from those in love. What're you doing on a romance cruise without boyfriends anyway?"

I smirked. "Oh I've got a date. He's just not here."

"That doesn't matter!" Ray snapped defensively. "You let these people go right now!" She ordered and Amy nodded.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh like that's going to happen." I muttered as Titis ordered the crew to attack. They turned into these blob like things. I drew my sword and slashed through one of them, only for it to reform as two blob things.

"Amy, Asagi, what are we going to do?" Ray asked fearfully.

"Let's stick together." Amy suggested, trying to hide her fear.

"Serena's on the way." I announced with a big smirking smile.

"I'm off." Jedite announced, and as about to take a portal, when, true to my words, Sailor Sun appeared.

"Stay where you are!" She demanded.

"Sailor Sun!" Amy and Ray exclaimed in unison.

"I am Sailor Sun, the champion of Justice." She continued. "I will right wrongs, and triumph over evil. And that means that you and your slimy friend are not getting away!"

"You have a mighty big mouth." Titis declared. For once, I had to agree. "I'm going to thoroughly enjoy shutting it."

She launched herself at Serena and knocked her through the windows.

"Moon Prism Power!" I shouted before I jumped up and out of the window to help my sister. Titis shot a huge jet of water and Serena. I pushed her out of the way. "Serena, stay behind me." I ordered. I crossed my arms in front of me. "Shield!"

The next jet of water just bounced off my shield, but then the shield shattered.

Luckily, Amy, Ray, Roku, and Ai came to my rescue.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Amy announced.

"Earth Prism Power!" Moegi, who somehow found her way to us, declared raising her sword into the air. "Earth Slash!" A powerful wave of brown energy flew at Titis.

I nocked an arrow. "Go! Arrow of the Moon!"

"Mars Fireball Ignite!"

"Fire Sword, charge!"

"Water Strike!" Ai called.

The combined force of all the attacks was enough to defeat Titis and turn her into dust, like all the other Negaverse monsters.

"Oh great, just my luck." Jedite groaned with a sneer. "The Sailor Scouts and the Swordsman. Even on a cruise ship in the middle of nowhere, you still manage to ruin everything!"

"Hold it!" Serena shouted.

"We want to know who you work for!" Ray added.

"And why you steal energy!" Amy added.

"Sorry, can't say." Jedite replied as he created a portal. "One day you'll know." Then of course he disappeared into said portal.

"Oh man, I thought we had him." Serena complained.

"Yeah, and so did everyone else." Moegi added. "Who is that guy anyway?"

I shrugged. "Jedite. Negaverse goon." I answered. "For one reason or another, his red aura is masked by a black aura."

"That's weird." Ai commented thoughtfully. "Could he be being controlled by whoever he's working for?"

I shrugged. "Possible. Anyway, we should get home. It's been a long day, and I'm tired."

"So who's your date Asagi?" Ray asked. "You said you came here with a date."

I grinned as the coast guard pulled up. "Sorry, but that's for me to know, and for all of you to go boo-hoo-hooing over all night long."


	19. Jedite's Challenge

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Nineteen: Jedite's Challenge<p>

_Asagi_

I grinned as I looked up at the constellations. "Let's see, there's my favorite, Cygnus and Pegasus, Draco, Hydra, the Unicorn, hey Luna, do you know the constellations?"

She shook her head. "Sorry Asagi, I don't. I lived a thousand years ago, and the constellations were much different then. Not to mention I saw them from the moon, instead of seeing them from Earth."

I nodded. "That's a good point."

Sinister laughter cut me off as a lightning storm came out of nowhere. Then it stopped, and from the clouds, Jedite appeared.

"I've come to challenge you, Sailor Sun, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Moonlight Warrior, Earth Warrior, Neptune Warrior and Mars Warrior." He announced. "Meet me at the main runway at the airport, one o clock, tomorrow morning. Otherwise," He gave a sinister grin and spat a fireball out. The city was engulfed in flames.

"Stop it, you monster!" Luna screeched at him.

Jedite snapped his fingers. "Ha, that was only an illusion. But if you don't show up I'll burn this city to ashes. For real this time."

I grabbed Serena, dug out my communicator and pressed it three times, for Ami and Roku, Ai and Ray, and Moegi.

"What's up Asagi?" Moegi asked.

"You got the message?" I asked.

Everyone nodded.

"I think we should call an emergency meeting at the temple." Roku suggested.

"Okay." We all agreed. "See you there."

Everyone rushed over to the temple.

"Count on it." Luna said. "Jedite will burn the city, just as promised."

"That's right." Ray said. "We have to answer to Jedite's evil challenge."

"No way." Ami protested. "It's got to be a trap."

"Trap or not," I put in. "If we don't, the city gets burned."

"I say we go for it!" Roku declared. "I wanna kick Jedite's butt once and for all!"

"But it might be a trap." Moegi reminded. "What if Jedite brings an army of monsters?"

"I agree with Moegi and Ami." Ai agreed. "We need a plan."

I sighed. "So it's a tie then. Serena?"

She backed away. "What, me, fight? No way."

I sighed. "Tough luck. We're going to fight him one way or another. This may be our chance to break the spell on him. Shall I contact Dar- Tuxedo Mask?"

I cursed my near slipup, hoping they wouldn't catch it.

"Do it." Everyone agreed.

I mentally sighed in relief. "Okay."

The next day at school, all anyone could talk about was Jedite's message. I had my back to the open window, trying not to look like I was talking to someone, when I was really talking to Luna.

"Asagi, tell me straight." She commanded. "Is that Darien boy Tuxedo Mask?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I found out after the fight with Dream Dolly, at the amusement park. You know how I went on that Sunset Romance Cruise? He was my date, but he disappeared, so that's why my energy didn't get stolen, 'cause I wasn't in love at the moment."

"Let me guess, don't tell Serena and Ray?" The cat guessed.

I snorted. "Not like they'd believe you anyway. Well, Ray might, but Serena wouldn't."

"It must have been like a hologram." One of Serena's friends was saying excitedly.

"No way guys." Melvin corrected. "It's aliens from outer space, I just know it. They're going to wipe out the human race for polluting our beautiful planet Earth."

I snorted at the ridiculous idea. "I hate to poke logic shaped holes in your idea Melvin, but if they wanted to wipe us out for polluting Earth, then why would they issue a challenge to the Sailor Scouts and the Swordsman?" I countered.

"Melvin, you've been watching _way_ to much Science Fiction." Molly agreed. "Get a life."

"Come on, about tonight," Serena's friend said. "It sounds like fun. Why don't we all go out to the airport together?"

I looked at them. "Are you crazy? This is the enemy of the Scouts and the Swordsman. You heard what he said last night. He'll burn the city for real if they don't show up, and I doubt he'll mind killing a few humans who happen to show up."

"You're boring." Molly complained. "Where will you be tonight?"

I looked her straight in the eyes. "I'll be at home reading one of my American fantasy novels." I lied without missing a beat. Short, sweet, and to the point. Sensei always said that if I had to lie, use the K.I.S.S. method.

"Nice lie." Serena complimented in a whisper.

I grinned. "Sensei always did tell me that if I had to lie, to use the K.I.S.S. method."

"Kiss method?" Serena repeated.

"Keep it simple, stupid." I recited, trying not to laugh my head off.

_Later, at the arcade_

Serena, apparently, had given her friends a chewing out, and they thought she was sick or something. Andrew kind of agreed with them, and said he liked it when she wasn't being serious.

I rolled my eyes, ordered a shake to go, and chased after the idiot I called my nee-chan.

"He loves me, he loves me." Serena sang as she skipped along.

I sighed. "I don't recall him ever saying that he _loved_ you Serena." I reminded, poking logic shaped holes in her fantasies. "Only that he _liked it more_ when you're being yourself." She ignored me. Her shoe came flying off and hit Darien on the head.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Hey Darien-kun." I greeted. "Having a bad day?"

He glared for a second, before sighing. "You know, it's impossible to stay mad at you Asagi-chan."

"Asagi-chan?" Serena repeated. "Since when is it Asagi-chan?"

"Since we started dating." I grinned.

"But I thought you've been exchanging letters with Tuxedo Mask!" She exclaimed. "You said so yourself, you couldn't wait to see him again."

"Ooh, exchanging letters with Tuxedo Mask. Should I be jealous?" Darien teased.

I smiled innocently. "No, no. My relationship with him is exactly the same as it is with you."

"Okay, you're confusing me." Serena said.

I beamed. "Good. That's the idea. I know who Tuxedo Mask is, but I'm not telling." I sang gleefully. Maybe I'd been spending too much time around Darien, but for some reason, I just felt like tormenting my sister.

"What?!" Serena wailed. "Who?!"

I laughed again. "I'll give you a hint. Look in the place you'd least expect. He's right in front of you actually." I said mysteriously. "So Darien, you wanna go out Saturday night, if we're not busy?"

He grinned. "Sure. Here's your shoe back Meatball Head. See ya around Asagi-chan."

So the hours passed, until it was time to go to the airport and face Jedite. We, unfortunately do to Serena oversleeping, had to run to the train station. It wasn't a big deal for me, Ai, Roku and Moegi, having half-demon stamina, but it was a big problem for Serena Ami and Ray.

We made it to the train station to see that the last train had left, though a train was there, although it wasn't moving.

Suddenly one of the train's doors opened.

"Well, are we going to get on?" Roku asked impatiently.

Ray smirked. "Jedite sent us a private car, so let's take it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is it just me, or do you seem a little _too_ eager to do this?"

The door closed behind us and the train started moving.

"Ami was right." Luna said. "Jedite was leading us into a trap."

"Trap or not," Moegi said. "We've come this far, we can't turn back now. So now it's time to face Jedite, once and for all."


	20. The First Spell Broken

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty: The First Spell Broken<p>

_Asagi_

We got off the train and a bunch of police officers started chasing us.

"Why are they chasing us?" Serena wailed. "I mean, they're the police, I thought they were supposed to be on our side, right?!"

"This is nuts!" Amy declared after a minute, apparently tired of running from them, uselessly I might add, or at least for the Scouts. She raised her transformation pen into the air. "Mercury Power!"

"Good idea Mercury." Ray said. "Mars Power!"

"By the power of the numbskull!" Roku shouted.

"Neptune Prism Power!" Ai added.

"Earth Prism Power!" Moegi yelled.

"Moon Prism Power!" I finished.

Ami made her computer visor appear, and used it to check out the police officers. "Hey, these guys are made of clay." She announced. "They're not really human at all, so we're allowed to destroy them. Go for it!"

"I'll take care of them." Ray declared. "Mars Fireball Ignite!"

"Fire Sword, Charge!" Roku added. Unlike the usual fireball, it turned into a big dragon. "Fire Dragon Strike!"

I raised an eyebrow as the fake policemen disintegrated. "New attack?" I asked curiously.

Roku nodded eagerly. "Yeah!" He replied. "I thought maybe if I could make a fireball, maybe I could make a fire dragon. And as you can see, it worked. Hey maybe you guys can do cool attacks with your swords."

I shrugged. "Possible." I admitted. "I'll ask Luna about it when this is over."

"You're amazing Mars, Ares." Serena gushed.

"That's right we are." Ray said proudly.

I rolled my eyes, but said nothing.

"Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Sun, Moonlight Warrior, Mars Warrior, Earth Warrior, Neptune Warrior." Jedite announced. "Now you're right where I want you."

"There's nowhere to hide." Serena realized.

"It's a shame you're so young and have barely had time to enjoy your lives." Jedite continued, ignoring Serena's remakr.

"No way." Serena gasped. "Someone as young and pretty as this has to live a long life. She owes it to the world."

Before she and Ray could get into another argument, I cut it. "Well right now you 'owe it to the world,' as you put it Serena, to beat this creep. If we want to beat him, we're all going to have to work together."

Jedite announced that it was time for battle and raised his hands. Lighting shot out of them and hit one of the airplanes. The airplane started moving, right towards us.

Ray suggested using her fire powers to blow them up, but Luna shot that idea down, saying that if she blew up a plane, she'd have to pay to fix it, and that would take her allowance for the next ten thousand years. That was not really something any of us wanted to happen.

We stood stock still, since we couldn't outrun them, maybe we could avoid them at the last minute, when a rose broke Jedite's concentration.

Jedite smirked but didn't turn around. "Nice to see you again Tuxedo Mask."

"You use your powers only for evil Jedite." Darien said with a smirk of his own. I was tempted to shout at them to stop talking and fight already. "Big mistake."

Jedite shot some of his lightning at Darien, who just jumped over it.

My flute began to glow from its place at my side. "Hey you guys, I think I know what one of my flute's powers are. Can you keep him distracted for me?"

"Got it." The others answered.

That in mind, I raised the flute to my lips and began to play a soft tune. Little by little, the black faded away, but almost as soon as it did, it came back. It must have been a pretty powerful spell.

Darien lunged at Jedite, but he dodged and pushed my boyfriend in the water, who, at the same time pushed the Negaverse general in the water.

Jedite floated back up from the surface, cackling.

_Damn it._ I thought. _If there is some spell on Jedite, it needs to hurry up and _break,_ 'cause we can't last much longer. Please, just let that stupid spell on him break and let his red aura return to normal._

So we devised a plan to get to Jedite. Serena and Moegi distracted the jet while Ami and Ai used their Bubbles Blast and Neptune Mist to cover us. I advanced on Jedite, still playing my flute and hoping that the spell would hurry up and break, and the black would stop reappearing every time my flute got rid of it.

Ray managed to somehow sneak up behind Jedite and slapped a sutra on his back that made the planes follow him.

"Everyone, I've got a plan to defeat him." I announced when I was done playing. "Once and for all this time."

"Okay. How?" They all chorused.

"Just get over here, and I'll show you." I barked. "We're going to break the spell on him and bring him over to our side."

"Okay Imouto!" Serena said and ran over to me.

An image of seven people standing in a circle came to me suddenly. They were all wearing tunics like mine.

"Everyone has to stand in a circle." I instructed. "First, take my hands."

_Flashback_

What was with the random flashback? It was again, of seven figures standing in a circle like the quick vision I had, but they were all cloaked in shadow.

"Join hands and recite the words." A voice that sounded much like mine, but was slightly deeper and more regal sounding.

"I say these words before the shrine of Selene so that the spirit of the moon may hear and approve my choice," Everyone began in unison. I could see the magic flowing through all of them through their joined hands. "We ask of you to break this spell and bring our friend back to who he was. Separate the black from the red, and cast the darkness out!"

_End flashback_

_Weird._ I thought, but none the less, I took everyone's hands and sent my magic through the circle.

"I say these words before the shrine of Selene so that the spirit of the moon may hear and approve my choice." All four of us Swordsman began the chant in unison, the Scouts quickly joining in soon after. "We ask of you to break this spell and bring our friend back to who he was. Separate the black from the red, and cast the darkness out!"

Jedite screamed as the black masking his naturally red aura was forcibly removed and thrown back to the Negaverse. Jedite collapsed to the ground. The other Swordsman and I ran over to him.

"Are you okay?" Ai asked, concerned. "That looked like it was pretty painful."

"It was." Jedite croaked. He looked at me. "Sorry about your boyfriend."

I blushed. "It's okay. I have a feeling he's not really dead anyway."

"Thanks for being concerned about me." Darien said sarcastically before he sighed. "It is _way_ to hard to stay mad at you. Good job with Jedite. See you later. And Neptune?"

"Yes?"

"Take care of your friend." And then he vanished again.

"Take care of my friend?" Ai repeated. "What does that mean?"

I grinned evilly at her and Jedite. "I believe he means to say that you've got a crush on a certain newly freed general." I announced. "And Jedite has a crush on a certain Swordsman from Neptune."

Both Ai and Jedite blushed. "We do not!" They objected in unison.

I grinned at them again. "Oh really." I chirped brightly. "Your faces tell another tale." I said before I leapt away to go home.


	21. New General?

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty One: New General?<p>

_Asagi_

Tonight, Friday May third, was a special night. What? Why, my first official date with Darien of course (the cruise didn't count, since that was a mission from Sensei, and it turned out to be a Negaverse trap anyway).

"Hello Asagi-chan." He said cheerfully as I stepped out of the house, dressed in a mid-length teal skirt and a baby blue tank top. He whistled. "You look good."

I blushed sheepishly. "Thanks, but I don't really look that good."

"You're too modest." My boyfriend informed me. "Anyway," He extended his arm. "Shall we go to the restaurant?"

I grinned. "Yes, we shall." I replied. "Bye Mom, bye Dad! I'm going to the restaurant with Darien now!"

"Have a good time!" Mom called back.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Dad added.

I snorted and rolled my eyes, but ignored him. "Let's go."

Darien raised an eyebrow, but I ignored it, telling him I'd tell him once we got to the restaurant. A little more than ten minutes later, we sat down and waited for a waiter to come. Luckily, he came fairly quick.

"So, what did your dad mean when he said 'don't do anything he wouldn't do?'" Darien asked curiously.

I groaned. "Just what he said, but considering the tales Mom told me about what they did when _they_ were dating, he hasn't got much room to talk." I replied. "Hey, it looks like the waiter's here." And sure enough, he was.

"Good evening, my name is Tokugi, and I'll be your server tonight." He announced. "May I start you off with some drinks?"

"I'd like a Sierra Mist please." I requested. I would have ordered a mountain dew, but it was late, and we might have a battle tomorrow. I didn't want to be up all night just because I couldn't sleep.

The rest of the night passed in a blur until it was time for me to go home.

"Hey Asagi-chan," Darien began as I was about to go back into the house.

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

He pulled me into an embrace, and then leaned down and kissed me before waving goodbye and leaving.

I walked into the house in a daze.

"So what happened?" Serena asked eagerly. "Did he kiss you?"

I blushed. "Yes, he did." I replied. "Anyway, shouldn't we go to bed?"

She sighed. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Goodnight. See you in the morning."

I waved as I climbed into bed. "Goodnight."

The next day we went to watch Molly's almost sister Katie at a tennis match. Personally, I was bored and would have rather been at the Dojo training. But, I promised I'd come along to see Katie play tennis, so watch I would. I tilted my head back, thinking of everything that had happened in the past few days.

"Oh he's so cool!" Someone squealed. "He's so handsome. Who is he?"

"I'm in love!" Serena and Molly said dreamily, hearts in their eyes.

I sighed. "Oh great. Someone else going gaga over a guy." I grumbled. "Humph. There's nothing worse than a _fangirl_."

"You'll have to excuse her." Serena said to Molly. "She's just like InuYasha-sensei when it comes to that. Then again, spending so much time around someone it's impossible not to pick up some of their mannerisms. Anyway, she isn't tolerant of anyone wasting time in things like drooling over a boy."

"Serena." I hissed after checking this guy's aura. "Be on your guard. I don't like this guy. His aura is the same as Jedite's, but yellow."

"Got it." She hissed back.

The new guy gave a great leap and flipped over the fence. "I want you to put you weight into the ball." He told Katie.

"Huh?"

He asked to borrow Katie's opponent's racket, and then told Katie to give him her best shot. He countered it easily. Katie tried to send it back, but she wound up getting hit in the wrist. That must have hurt.

"There's no attack in your serve." He announced.

"Who are you anyway?" Katie asked.

"My name's Maxfield Stanton, I'm a tennis coach." He replied.

I snorted. "I doubt it." I muttered under my breath. "Stupid deceiving Negaverse general."

"You say something Asagi?" Molly asked.

I smiled brightly. "Nope. Nothing at all."

"Oh, my racket." Katie said as 'Maxfield' bent over it and went to pick it up. Time seemed to freeze for a minute, and I saw a symbol flash on the end of the racket, making me frown. What would a Negaverse General want with a girl's racket?

He picked it up again and handed it to Katie again. "Just remember to put your weight into the ball." He commanded.

"Uh, right." Katie said and took the racket. Her eyes turned black as she smiled.

"Will someone receive Katie's serve?" 'Maxfield' called.

A boy stepped up as Katie threw the ball up and hit it with her racket. It flew right past the boy and made a little dent in the ground.

"Wow!" Serena exclaimed.

I snorted. "Hey, Serena, I just remembered that Jedite was going to come over and feed Luna this morning, you know, since we came to the tennis game and all." I lied. "Do you mind if I go home and make sure he did really quick?"

Serena got my hint. "Yeah, go ahead." She replied. "Just hurry back."

I smiled. "Sure." I replied. I hurried home to find Jedite (who I'd dragged home a couple days ago, citing the excuse that a bunch of little kids came to the orphanage where he lived so that matrons kicked all the teenagers out) waiting for me.

"So little sister," Jedite began with a smirk. "Did you have fun at the tennis game? Did you feel that weird heat wave?"

That meant 'did you feel that flare of power earlier?' but since we couldn't say that around Mom and Dad, we had to make up a code, which we'd done last night, in our dreams of course, where Mom and Dad couldn't eavesdrop on us.

I shrugged. "Actually I did." I replied as we made our way upstairs. "But I came home to make sure you fed Luna this morning."

"Oh don't worry." He said as he rolled his eyes. "Our little kitty's just fine." We entered my room. "Luna, Asagi needs to talk to you."

"_Both_ of you." I corrected. "Were there other generals in the Negaverse? And by the way, who did you work for?"

"In order," Jedite replied as he held up a finger. "Yes there were other generals, Neflite, Malachite, and Zoycite. Like I had a red aura that was masked by black, Neflite has yellow, Zoycite has green, and Malachite has blue. We worked for some evil witch called Queen Beryl, and I don't know what her ultimate goal was, except to take over the universe, and gather energy to release the Negaforce, whatever that is."

"Well I met Neflite today, under the guise of Maxfield Stanton. He did something strange to Molly's friend's tennis racket." I explained.

Jedite frowned. "That is weird. Well Neflite was always going on about how 'the human race is ruled by the stars' or something like that. I remember once he told me he could get more energy from one human than I could get from a hundred."

"What does that mean?" Luna cut in.

He shrugged. "I have no idea. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting back to the match? I mean, you said you were just going to check if I fed Luna, which you did. So Luna, you going to Headquarters tonight?"

"Yes, I am. I'll ask about what this Neflite is planning." She promised.

I grinned. "Thanks Luna. Anyway, I gotta get back to Serena and Molly."

I went back to the tennis courts to see that Molly's friend/sister had defeated a bunch of other players in no time flat.

I looked at Serena. "What's going on?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." She replied before her voice changed to a whisper. "Did you find anything out from our knife happy brother?"

She called him that because he's got knives stashed in places you wouldn't believe. I wouldn't be surprised if he's got them everywhere.

I nodded. "Our new friend who helped Katie is Neflite. Apparently he's a real space brain, always talking about the stars and stuff."

"That's interesting. Well we'll know more once Luna visits headquarters tonight." She said. "For now, we'll just have to wait. We'll tell the others tomorrow."

I nodded. "Got it."

Sunday afternoon, we were all gathered at the Temple for a meeting.

"So what'd you find out Luna?"

"I found out that there's another pen that was never given to anyone." She replied.

I raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Meaning," Luna answered. "We've got another Scout."

I gasped. "What, really? Who?"

"Anyone." She said. "It was never given to anyone so for that reason it can be given to anyone. Any ideas?"

"One." I replied. "Molly."

"Huh, why Molly?" Ray asked.

"My reasoning is simple." I said. "She's been affected by the first attack, the one I stopped my very first night as Moonlight Warrior, and now by this last one, since her best friend/sister was the one Neflite chose as his target. Besides, she acts kind of Serena like how Serena used to, and if InuYasha-sensei can cure her of being a whiner, a crybaby a wimp and a _total_ klutz," I added ignoring the protests of my older sister. "Then he surely can cure Molly of her fangirl shopaholic attitude. Besides, chances are she'll be targeted by more attacks in the future, just because she's Serena's best friend and my friend."

"Good point." Luna admitted. "Okay, so when should we ask her?"

"After this attack is done." Ami put in. "We're too busy with this right now."

"Yeah," Ai added. "Besides, we've yet to see a single monster, despite that Neflite guy doing something to Katie's tennis racket, if what Asagi says is true, which of course it is."

Moegi sighed. "We've got to figure out how to deal with him, preferably before he targets anyone else." She put in.

"We'll figure this out later," Serena said. "But I've got a call from Molly."


	22. Welcome New Scout: Appear Sailor Eris

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty Two: Welcome New Scout: appear Sailor Eris<p>

_Asagi_

"Thanks for coming over." Molly said about a half hour later as she poured Serena and I some tea. I picked mine up and waited for it to cool.

"What's up?" I asked. "You're not hurt are you?"

She shook her head. "No, but I'm worried about Katie." She replied. "She's gotten so aggressive lately."

"You sure it's not just nerves about the big tournament that's coming up?" I asked reasonably. I was never one to jump to conclusions.

"That's what I thought at first, but then . . ." She trailed off, before explaining how it was like Katie was a whole different person, and didn't even seem to care about the bond they shared. I thought about what might be the cause of it, and only came up with one conclusion: Neflite and his weird brand of magic.

"So, what do you know about the Sailor Scouts?" Serena blurted suddenly.

I shot her a 'moron' look before I discreetly elbowed her. She glared at me, and I shrugged. Her glares were nothing compared to Sensei's glared.

"What was that for Asagi?" Molly asked. "The elbow and the look?"

I sighed. "Caught that did you? Nice." I complimented. "Well Serena brought up a topic that she should have known better than to mention."

"Why?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, can't tell you. It's classified." I burst into giggles. "Okay, that sounded all stiff and official. Point is though, I can't tell you."

Molly looked back and forth between Serena and I, and then, realization dawned on her. "The Moonlight Warrior and Sailor Sun don't just act like you and Serena." She said finally. "They are you. That's where you're always disappearing to."

I sighed. "Bingo." I admitted. "That's actually part of why we're here."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Molly asked.

I shrugged. "Well apparently Luna has this transformation pen that has no aura." I replied.

"Aura? What's that?"

"Basically, an aura is a sort of light that everyone has. Sometimes it's one solid color, sometimes it's a lot of colors. Anyway," I explained. "All of the transformation pens for the Sailor Scouts were given out last time. That's why they can only be given to one person, the person whose aura matches that of the pen's. I guess about a thousand years ago, these same guys made trouble for the moon. Anyway, there was this one that was never given out."

"So it has no aura!" Molly realized. "So you can give it to anyone you choose. Does that mean you're giving it to me?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, we sure are." Serena replied. "Luna wanted suggestions, so we told her you'd be a great Sailor Scout. Of course, since you're going to be one of the Scouts you'll have to come to the Dojo."

"The same dojo you've been going to lately, and Asagi has been going to for years?" Molly asked curiously.

I nodded. "Yup, the very same dojo. It's called the Dog Demon Dojo. I guess that Sensei wants the world's defenders to be competent fighters. That's why he wants Serena, Ami, and Ray to come too. Of course I was going there _long_ before I became the Moonlight Warrior, you know, since I'm a half demon."

"I _knew_ there was a reason you started hanging out with them!" Molly exclaimed.

Serena nodded. "Yeah. We all share the bond of having to defend the world from she who has too many nicknames."

I frowned. "Serena, who's she who has too many nicknames?"

My older sister blinked. "I don't know." She replied with a frown. "It just came to me. Anyway Molly, will you become the new Sailor Scout for us? Please?"

Molly looked at the pen which I now held in my hand, then back at Serena, then at me. "I'll do it." She announced. I handed her the pen. "So now what?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, I guess you hold it up and shout 'something Power.' I don't know which planet your pen belongs to. I don't think Luna ever told me."

"You keep mentioning Luna," She said. "So are you talking about your cat Luna?"

I grinned. "She talks." I confirmed. "It's weird, I know, but once you get used to it, you wonder how you ever did without Luna nagging you to do this and that. Well, mostly Serena to do her homework. Anyway, transform, and we'll go see about your sister."

She nodded. "Okay. Eris Power!" She yelled. She was surrounded by light, and when it disappeared, she was dressed in a reddish brown skirt, the usual leotard, which, as usual, was white, and reddish brown boots.

I whistled. "Nice getup Molly." I complimented. "Come on. Let's go save your sister."

After giving Molly a crash course in roof-running (and a little convincing that yes it really did work), we went looking for Katie, who was still at the tennis courts.

"She's still here?" I wondered aloud. "Either she's really dedicated, or she's really wrapped around Neflite's finger. Stupid jerk always ranting about fate. Shame Jedite isn't here. He'd love to show him that 'fate' isn't everything."

"Um, Asagi?" Serena asked hesitantly.

I blinked. "That was weird. I just had this urge to call him a stupid jerk who always rants about fate, as if I know him. Pretty weird huh?"

Molly and my sister nodded.

"It sure was, but let's go." Serena said.

We found Katie taking on a bunch of other players, professionals apparently, but none of them wanted to play anymore, 'cause Katie trounced them thoroughly without a bit of remorse. She sure was wrapped around Neflite's finger.

"Katie stop!" Molly yelled, leaping in front of the older girl.

"Get out!" Katie screamed angrily.

"No Katie, we're not leaving! You have to stop!"

"Get out of here, all three of you." Katie snarled, her face contorting into an ugly sneer.

We told her we wouldn't, and that Molly was just trying to help, but she wouldn't listen. Her racket flashed and she shot a blast of energy at us.

We quickly jumped out of the way, although Molly couldn't quite move as fast as Serena and I, not having undergone any of InuYasha-sensei's rigorous training (read: torture with a purpose). Everything warped around us, and a monster emerged from the racket.

"I knew he was one of the Generals!" I exclaimed as I lifted my bow off my back. "Go! Arrow of the Moon!"

"What?" The monster shouted. "Who's there?"

"Hey, Creep From The Negaverse!" Serena shouted. "I am Sailor Sun, and on behalf of the sun, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil. And that means you!"

I grinned. "I am the half demon warrior who defends the innocent. When darkness falls and evil prays upon my home, I will be there, poised to strike. I will defend my home and everyone in it. I am the leader of the Seven Swordsman of the Moon, the Moonlight Warrior, and I'll destroy you, 'cause that's a promise by the moon!"

"You challenge _me?_" Creepy wanted to know, a tennis racket made of fire and a ball of some dark energy forming in his hand. He shot at us, turning Serena into a tennis ball, before something cut Creepy's face. I rolled my eyes knowing it was just Darien.

"_Okay Darien, you can come out now._" I called in what I now knew was demonic language. I assumed that Darien was a half demon, because he understood it. Molly and Serena, not being demons or half demons, couldn't understand it.

He sighed as he came out of hiding. "_Do you always have to go and spoil my fun?_"

"Stay out of this." Creepy ordered. "Or I'll do the same thing to you that I did to her." He pointed at Serena, who still looked like a tennis ball.

Darien smirked. "It looks like it might be fun. Go ahead and try it."

I slapped my head and groaned. "The idiot I call my boyfriend."

_Watashi ha aisuru, my hime. Always remember that._ The words echoed in my mind, like a distant memory that I couldn't quite remember.

For some reason I had a bad feeling about the words, despite the person, who sounded remarkably like Darien, saying he loved me. I shook it off and pointed another arrow at Creepy. Creepy tried to turn Darien into a tennis ball too, but he jumped over the ball as I fired an arrow. Boy was I glad the quiver refilled itself every time I transformed, or I'd be out of arrows by now. Darien made his cane extend to more than double its normal length and hit Creepy, knocking him over and breaking the tennis ball spell on Serena.

"Let's get him!" I cried, drawing my sword and charging at him. Molly and Serena readied their tiaras. My blade was surrounded by a white glow.

I plunged it through what would be Creepy's heart, if he actually had one. He was turned to ashes, as all Negaverse monsters did when they were defeated. The others arrived just in time to see Ugly vaporized.

"Hey, who's the new Scout?" Ray asked.

I grinned. "We have a new scout." I announced. "Welcome, Sailor Eris, otherwise known as Baker Molly."

There were gasps. "_Molly_ is a Sailor Scout?"

I grinned again. "Yup. The pen had no aura, so we didn't have to wait for anyone to show up. We could give it to anyone, and we picked Molly."

The next day, Katie didn't remember anything about what happened, although that was probably a good thing.

Standing on the court, I pondered the words from last night: _watashi ha aisuru, my hime. Always remember that. I love you, my princess. Always remember that._

What did the strange words mean? Why did I hear them? Why did they give me such a bad feeling, like someone I cared for was about to rush off and do something they probably wouldn't live through?

A ball came flying at me. I instinctively reached up and grabbed it, still deep in thought.

"Nice reflexes Asagi." Molly complimented, bringing me out of my trance. "How'd you get such good reflexes?"

I gave them a blank stare before I noticed the ball in my hand. "Oh that. Well, InuYasha-sensei decided one day that our reflexes weren't fast enough, so he threw balls at us. And not wimpy tennis balls either. He threw baseballs and golf balls at us, and boy are those things hard. We had to either dodge, catch them, or block the balls. If we caught them, we had to either throw them back at him, or throw them at someone else. Jedite decided he'd pelt the balls at _us,_ so eventually, we got so pissed at him that we started throwing them back at him. Bloody jerk just laughed it off though. Most of the time, I learned to catch them because that was the easiest." I smiled at Molly. "Anyway, welcome to the team Molly. Glad to have you." Then, in demonic language, I added something else even though I knew she couldn't understand. "_Welcome new scout: appear Sailor Eris._"


	23. Vision of the Past

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty Three: The Vision<p>

_Asagi_

_Tonight, I didn't find myself leaping from cloud to cloud dressed as the Moonlight Warrior, or waiting for the idiot I called my boyfriend, but instead, I was on the moon. I knew it was the moon, since I could see Earth in the sky._

_Standing next to me was Darien, dressed in armor of all things. Weird. But even weirder, was the fact that _I _was wearing a _dress._ It was a white dress with golden trimmings, and it was one of those old fashioned to the floor dresses. On my right wrist, I wore the bracelet that Darien gave me a few weeks ago, not long after the incident with Jedite at the airport. Made of turquoise, it was a loose fit, but not so loose that it would fall off my wrist easily._

"_You're about to leave and do something stupid, aren't you?" I deadpanned._

_Darien tried to look innocent. "Whatever gave you that idea Asagi-chan?"_

_I snorted and held up the wrist I was wearing my bracelet on. "Because, every time you're about to rush off and do something stupid, you give me a present, knock me out, and tell me 'Ashiteru, my hime. Always remember that.'" I held up the bracelet as proof. "Remember the _last_ time you rushed off to fight Beryl? You nearly got yourself _killed, _if you haven't forgotten!"_

_He sighed. "Oh alright, I was planning to challenge her. No, I haven't forgotten that I nearly got killed, but I don't care. It's my fault that she turned to the Negaverse." As usual, he knocked me out and whispered; "Ashiteru, my hime. Always remember that."_

_But before either of us could say or do anymore, I woke up._

I sat up. "Damn it, what the hell was that dream?" I looked at the clock. It was only three in the morning. I didn't have to wake up until seven, so that was plenty of time to meet Darien. So as usual, I called him to that weird place in the sky. Although _this_ time it wasn't in the sky, it was the palace I just visited in my dream.

"Hey, I know this place!" Darien and I exclaimed in unison. "I just dreamed about this place! How weird."

"What you too?" We asked, surprised, still in unison.

"Yeah, just barely."

Finally, Darien broke the unison pattern by posing a question I couldn't answer yet. "Is it just me, or did that seem like a vision of the past?"

That evening, we were at the nearby park. Amy said it would be really cool to take a boat out on the lake with a good book. Ray thought it would be cool to take a boat out on the lake with a cute guy. She was probably referring to Darien, who she still didn't realize was Tuxedo Mask. Then again, she didn't know I was dating Darien either. I maintained my previous idea: what Ray and Serena didn't know wouldn't hurt me. We found a man named Mister Baxter, who Amy apparently knew. He had been the gardener of the park for a bunch of years, but now it was getting torn down for a bunch of new businesses. That gave me an idea.

"Hey, Serena, doesn't the Sailor Team frequent this park?" I asked innocently.

"Yes." Serena replied suspiciously. "What are you up to imouto?"

I looked at her in surprise. "Serena, did you just speak in _Latin_?"

She stared at me. "Huh? I thought I was speaking in Japanese."

I shook my head. "No, you definitely spoke Latin." I answered. "But hey, doesn't the Sailor Team frequent this park? I was thinking that if we could get them to show up, maybe, we could save the place."

_Besides,_ _I still haven't gone out on the lake with Darien yet. I'm sure he'd just love to see the rose gardens. I wonder when they'll figure it out._ The idea brought a smirk to my face.

"That's not a bad idea young lady." Mister Baxter commented. "If you could do that and save the park, it would be great."

I smirked. "I'll make sure I do." _Now the only thing will be getting Sensei to agree._

A few hours later, we headed to the Crown Arcade to meet with Luna, who nearly got run over, were it not for Darien. He got the shock of his life hearing her talk.

"A little surprised Darien?" I asked innocently.

He scowled at me. "I said it before Asagi, and I'll say it again."

"I'm just too hard to stay mad at." I finished.

Ray looked between us. "Is there something going on between you two?"

I shrugged. "Maybe there is, and maybe there's not. I think I'm gonna pull a Sensei on you and tell you to look underneath the underneath."

We went inside. Serena played video games, Ray talked to Andrew, and I sipped a milkshake (pineapple, my new favorite) as Darien and I talked about the dream we both had last night, and how, instead of meeting in the clouds like we usually did, we met on the balcony of that castle on the moon.

"_Sure was weird, wasn't it?_" I asked in demonic language (I did not want anyone to overhear me, and though there was only a small chance, I wasn't going to take it). "_Normally we meet in the clouds, but this morning, we met on the balcony of that castle._"

"_And then that dream._" Darien added. "_It seems like it was a vision of the past. Remember what you said?_"

I nodded. "_I told you that whenever you were about to do something stupid, you gave me a present, knocked me out and told me you loved me. Or something like that._"

Ray fell off the stool she was sitting on. "Do you think she'll ever get the message that I don't like her like that?" Darien asked with a sigh as he reverted to Japanese.

I grinned and shook my head. "Probably not." I replied. "Have you seen her? She'd head over freaking heels for you. Still, it'll be fun to see the look on her face," I switched to demonic language. "_That you and Tuxedo Mask are on and the same. Oh that reminds me, I've got a plan to stop them from tearing down Fairview park. Us. I think that if we tell them to stop and prove that we're really the Sailor Team, we can stop them._"

"_Not a bad idea Asagi-chan. Has Sensei agreed?_"

I ducked my head and poked my fingers together. "Well, no. But I'm sure he will. Anyway, look out for Ray. I think she's plotting something."

And true to my words, after school the next afternoon, Ray planned to 'accidentally' bump into Darien. Luckily, it didn't work because I used a subtle Shadow Possession to trip her. I grinned to myself. The joke was on her. She tried to go after him, but I used another Shadow Possession to stop her.

"Ray, leave him alone." I said as I came out of hiding. "It's obvious he doesn't like you like that. In fact, I'd almost say you're being a fan girl."

She gulped. "No, I'm not being a fan girl! I just wanted to ask Darien to train with me sometime. And maybe I was going to ask him to come with me to a nearby cafe."

I sighed. "He's already got a girlfriend you know." I said. I held up a hand, forestalling her objections. "And no I won't tell you who it is. You'll have to find that out for yourself. By the way Darien, you still owe me."

He blinked. "For what?"

I sighed. "Remember? You said you'd explain that dream last night." I switched to demonic language. "_That dream we both had about the castle on the moon. Besides, I'm still mad at you for some reason after that dream the way you knocked me out._"

He held up his hands. "_Alright, alright, Asagi-chan._" He said. "_We'll take a rowboat out on the lake, and maybe we can figure it out._"

I nodded. Ray looked irritated. "Would you two speak in a language I can understand?" She grumbled. "What language are you two speaking anyway?"

I shrugged. "None of your business." I replied coolly. Jeez, I was starting to sound more like Sensei every day. "Darien, I believe the rowboat awaits. Shall we go?"

He grinned. "We shall Asagi-chan."

Ray just stared after us, dumbstruck and bewildered.

"Wow." Darien commented once we were actually out on the lake. "Sure is pretty, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Actually, it'd be perfect for the water walking exercise that Jedite was telling me about." I added. "Basically what you do is channel chakra to your feet and use it to walk on the surface of the water. It's really hard to do because you have to keep adjusting the amount you use, because the water isn't stationary like a tree."

Suddenly, my communicator rang. I looked at Darien, who took off without saying anything. "What's up Amy?" I asked.

"Come quick!" She panted. "Someone was attacked by squirrels in the park! Where are you? Can you get here quickly?"

"If you're at Fairview park then just look across the lake and you'll see me." I replied.

She did just that and realized that I was in the rowboat. Grinning, I called Serena, who was stuck with Melvin. She quickly made an excuse to ditch him (what I don't know) and met Amy and I, who recounted the squirrels attacking a man, one of the men in charge of the new office building. Then Mister Baxter appeared and said no one was allowed in 'his park' but him, and that he was going to punish us for abusing nature. Neflite's symbol appeared on his hat, and a weird, plant like monster appeared.

"Guys," I said. "Get ready. It's time to fight."


	24. Jedite's Debut

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty Four: Jedite's Debut<p>

_Asagi_

Serena and Ami nodded. "Mercury Power!" Amy shouted.

"Sun Prism Power!"

I drew my sword. "Kuso! Call the others. Moon Prism Power!"

Not more than a second after I transformed, butterflies started attacking me as the squirrels did the same to Luna. I flared my aura a bit and they backed off.

"Mercury Bubbles- Blast!"

The mist made the animals stop attacking us. We demanded to know what happened to Mister Baxter and why all the animals were attacking us, but Creepy Plant didn't answer. Nothing new. It shot vines at us that tied us up. I used my sword to keep them at bay. I would have helped Serena and Ami, but that wasn't really an option at the moment, because all I could do was stay on the defensive and keep the vines away and hope like hell the others got here soon. Finally, Ray showed up and used a Fireball Ignite to free Ami. I breathed a sigh of relief, noting that the others were with her.

"Thank goodness." I sighed. "Thanks a ton Ray. Seen my brother?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Is he still not done with his morpher?"

I shrugged. "I've been hearing explosions coming from his room for the last couple of weeks, but I don't know." I replied.

Serena complained that Ray almost set _her_ on fire and Ray shot back that she saved Serena's backside, but I quickly interrupted their argument by reminding them that we still had a monster to take care of.

Roku lit his sword on fire while I used the Shadow Possession to hold Creepy Plant in place. Creepy Plant, alas, blocked his sword. Luckily, Darien showed up at just the right time with someone new. He looked like the Jungle Fury Red Ranger (Jedite, when he wasn't ordering his Shadow Clones to do his homework or blowing things up to create a morpher in his room, was watching Power Rangers on our shared computer and wouldn't stop talking about his favorite generation, which was Jungle Fury). Then it clicked. That was Jedite up there with the idiot I called my boyfriend.

"Hello imouto." He sang from where he stood beside Darien on a tree branch. I growled, and in my distracted state, I accidentally released my Shadow Possession. "Miss me?"

I sighed. "Remind me again, why do I love you?"

"Hey, it's Tuxedo Mask!" Serena exclaimed. "And who's the new guy?"

I snorted, but it was Molly who answered. "Sun, he called Moon 'imouto.' Not to mention, he looks like your brother's favorite Power Ranger. He won't shut up about him. Who do you think it is?" Molly reminded. "And of course, Moon asked the new guy to remind her why she loved him, so it has to be your brother."

Serena nodded. "Oh right. Otouto, just hurry up and help us."

Our brother (my older and Serena's younger by about six months) grinned. "Why of course big sister." He said. I sighed.

Darien looked at me. "Shadow Possession time."

I nodded. "Got it. Shadow Possession! Serena, everyone else, get her!"

"Hai!"

So they launched their best attacks at Creepy Plant and defeated her, which returned everything back to normal.

"Ha ha, dusted!" Serena cried gleefully as Mister Baxter returned to normal.

"Nice job Moon-chan." Darien said. "You broke the spell. See you later." Serena Molly and Ray tried not to drool over him and not to glare at me. I just shrugged it off. They wouldn't be so keen to drool over him if they knew who he really was: my boyfriend. Still I maintained that what they didn't know wouldn't hurt me.

There was just one more thing I wanted to do though before I turned back into Asagi: save the park. I didn't have Sensei's permission yet, but I was sure he wouldn't mind once I explained my reasoning.

So, I showed up, told the workers to go home and not come back, and then left some money for the park along with sign that said: _the Sailor Team has claimed this park as their own. They now own it. The money beside this sign is proof of that, and if anyone but the one who's supposed have it tries to pick it up, it will burn them. Anymore building on this land will result in me taking drastic measures. You don't want to find out what they are. Oh and by the way, don't come looking for me. You won't find me. There's only a few people who know who I am, and most of them are on my team. One of them is my sensei, and he'll sooner bite you than tell you my identity. Signed the Moonlight Warrior._

I looked at it and laughed. "Geez, I'm starting to sound like Sensei." I commented to myself. "But anyway, I think I'll go home now, and then I'll get Jedite to explain himself. Like why he wasn't of more help, the jerk."

Darien came up to us. I told him that because our trip out to the middle of the lake was interrupted, he was going to take me back out on the lake to watch the sunset. He stated that he didn't have a choice, knowing me all too well. I just beamed and told him that he was exactly right and he had no choice: he was taking me back out on the lake whether I had to drag him or whether he came willingly. We went back out on the lake in the boat, which I called to me using my powers, making Darien mutter;

"Show off."

I just beamed at him again as we climbed in the boat and rowed to the middle of the lake.

"So Asagi-chan," Darien began once we were safely out of earshot. "What's that sign you left about anyway? The park?"

I sighed. "I'm not even going to ask how you know about that. But, yeah. I left a bit of money and for all intents and purposes, I bought the park. I said that anyone who tried to bulldoze it would pay dearly, or something like that." I replied. "I also added that they wouldn't find me just by looking."

My boyfriend grinned. "Smart. So you saw that Jedite finally finished his morpher."

I nodded. "Yup. I imagine he'll make his official debut next fight. Anyway, meet me in the usual place tonight, or wherever we happen to meet?"

He smiled. "With pleasure Asagi-chan. So, think I should show up at training next week?" He asked. "It'd sure shock the others."

I grinned and nodded. "Oh yes. Boy, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they find out that _you're_ Tuxedo Mask. Anyway, we should be heading home soon." I jumped out of the boat. "See ya later Darien-kun!" And with that, I jumped on the nearest roof and leapt home, wishing that next Thursday would come.


	25. Wedding Dress Chaos

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty Five: Wedding Dress Chaos<p>

_Asagi_

I sighed as Ms. Lambert droned on about how to sew something. _You know, sewing class would be a lot more interesting if she wouldn't just drone on. And what's with her blush anyway? It's like she's in love with someone._

Not long later, I would realize my guess wasn't too far off the mark.

Finally, class was over. I sat with my friends a little ways off, while Molly and Serena sat together. All of us were eating ice cream.

Melvin popped up out of nowhere with a 'gossip update.' Apparently, Ms. Lambert was getting married, and that's why she was such a space case. Serena launched into a speech about what would happen when she got married. I nearly snorted at the idea. My face turned red, though, as I thought of Darien. I couldn't suppress a small laugh when Serena's ice cream fell on her head.

On the way home we passed a wedding chapel. I had to drag Serena away from there, because it we didn't hurry up we'd be late for InuYasha-sensei's class.

"Come on Serena." I said. We saw a group of people move a sign into place. It was for a wedding dress sewing contest. I sighed. "Come on Serena." I repeated as I saw Ray. "Hi Ray! How's it going?"

She waved back and gestured to the bag slung over her shoulder. "I was running late, so I packed my clothes into a bag and decided I'd change on the way." She explained. "What's up with you guys?"

I jerked my head at the sign. "That. Serena's drooling over it, but we need to go. Think you could . . ." I trailed off as I saw her face light up.

"With pleasure." Ray replied with a wicked grin. "Hey Meatball Head!" She yelled in my sister's ear, interrupting her daydreAmyng.

Serena rubbed her ear. "Ow! Ray, what was that for?"

I sighed. "We're going to be late, _Sun._" I hissed.

Serena gulped. "Coming, coming."

So we raced to the dojo. I couldn't wait, because I had a feeling that Darien was already there. Boy would it be fun to see the look on their faces.

"Darien," I heard Sensei saying. "How nice of you to finally show up. We've only been waiting several weeks."

Darien gulped and bowed as we entered. "Sorry. I only found out who Asagi was a few weeks ago, and then it honestly hadn't occurred to me to come to your dojo until just a few days ago after the incident with the park." He explained.

"Really?" Sensei drawled. "Then why is your heart beating so fast?"

"Nerves." My boyfriend said flatly.

Sensei said nothing for a moment, before finally, he nodded. "And one other thing." He said. He whispered the next part Darien's ear, but I still heard it. "Asagi was my very first student, so if you hurt her, I _will_ kill you."

Darien gulped and turned white as a sheet. "Hai." He managed.

"Well, let's see how good you are with a sword. Considering that he's your boyfriend Asagi, why don't you test him after Roku Dai and Jedite have told us all the rules?" Despite the wording, I wasn't stupid enough to think it was a suggestion. No, it was a command, and I dared not disobey.

So after the rules were recited, I tested Darien. He'd been doing pretty good for just practicing on his own with the sword I gave him, but he wasn't as good as I was, especially since I had a specialized sword, whereas he just had a regular longsword.

"Alright, you got me Asagi-chan." He said as my blade touched his neck lightly. "You're good, you know that?"

I grinned. "Yup, I know."

"Hey imouto," Serena began. "Why is he here?"

Before I could answer, InuYasha-sensei butted in. "Before Darien's secret can be spilled, I'm going to tell you to look underneath the underneath."

Class went smoothly after that. Both Ray and Serena decided on the way home that they would enter this wedding dress sewing contest. Ray wanted to borrow our sewing machine, but I told her before she could embarrass herself that Mom didn't sew.

Serena was pissed that Ray wanted to enter and steal 'her' trip to Hawaii, but I told her that if she didn't stop whining about it, I'd temporarily disable her ability to speak with my Shadow Strangulation.

Needless to say, she shut up and dropped the idea, especially when Molly and Amy wouldn't help her. Luna chewed her out for not helping find the Moon Princess and the Sun Princess, saying that if Serena spent half as much time searching for them as she did messing around, we might have found them already. Well, until I pointed out that we had no idea what to look for.

Across town I sensed a power flare that felt like Neflite's, so I decided to check it out. He was talking to Ms. Lambert about fabric. I glared at him and deliberately flared my power to get his attention. He glared back at me. Once I knew I had his attention, I smirked and made a very rude gesture at him. He just glared at me some more.

I informed the others about this, and Jedite resolved to keep an eye on his brother (half brother, as Jedite was quick to remind us, and unfortunately for him, the legitimate and oldest one). While he was spying on his (most hated as he claimed) brother, apparently, Ms. Lambert really let her boyfriend have it and called their engagement off. Luna thought the Negaverse was behind it.

I agreed, and we all decided to meet at Cherry Hill Temple. Amy said something about how she liked it because it was peaceful. However, as soon as she spoke the words, Ray and her grandfather came plowing into us, having an argument about whether or not Ray could use her grandfather's sheets to make a wedding dress. The old man said she couldn't, but Ray thought she could.

I wanted to know if she even knew how to sew.

Soon enough, the issue was resolved (for the moment anyway) and we got down to the business of discussing what Neflite might be up to this time, and why he was picking on our sewing teacher of all people.

"I think what matters now," Moegi put in. "Is stopping Neflite before he can extract Ms. Lambert's energy. I think the Sailor Team should go check this out. All in favor?"

Everyone but Serena raised their hands. "Aye!" We chorused.

Serena ditched us to go try to make a wedding dress out of Mom's silk curtains, but wound up getting caught. I sighed as I dragged her along behind me and out of the house to solve the mystery of the wedding dress chaos.


	26. Best Thursday Ever

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty Six: Best Thursday Ever<p>

_Asagi_

The day of the wedding dress contest quickly rolled around. I used the Luna Pen to disguise myself as a contestant to find Ms. Lambert, which Serena actually forgot I had. I nearly slapped her for being so space-brained, but somehow, I managed to refrain from doing so until later.

I wasn't too thrilled at the idea of having to pose as a bride (dresses were annoying and impractical) but at least I found Ms. Lambert.

Under Neflite's hypnosis, she'd undergone a weird transformation. She almost looked like an Inuzuka (from Naruto, a show Jedite got me into by not shutting up about it like he did with Power Rangers and anything else he liked) with those fang marks on her cheeks. She glared at all of us after hypnotizing the judge to make him fall in love with her, making everyone but me fall asleep because I didn't look in her eyes. I could feel the magic coming from the glare, and with people falling asleep all around me, I wasn't stupid enough to look in her eyes.

Suddenly, a cloud of . . . something came from Neflite's symbol on her dress and turned into a spider like monster. The fang marks on Ms. Lambert's cheeks disappeared. I glared at the bug. "You won't get away with this." I promised.

"Really?" Bug Breath drawled.

I smirked. "Yes really." I said. "'Cause I absolutely hate spiders, and I'm gonna squash you like the bug you are."

"Be careful little fly." Bug Breath taunted before she was interrupted by my friends.

"Who are you calling a fly?" They all demanded.

I grinned and waved at them. "Hey guys! Just in time. Ready to kick Bug Breath's ass?"

"That's Black Widow to you." Bug Breath snapped. "Who are you?"

Making sure everyone was safely knocked out, I drew my sword. "Take a guess, Bug Breath. Moon Prism Power!"

"Sun Prism Power!"

"Earth Prism Power!"

"Mars Prism Power!"

"Jupiter Prism Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Mercury Power!"

"Eris Power!"

Before I even had time to wonder when Dai became a Swordsman, Bug Breath shot webbing at us. Somehow, Serena didn't manage to dodge. Tempted to strangle my sister for her inattentiveness, I channeled a bit of chakra up my sword and slashed through the webbing and burned the rest of it off so that she could get free.

"Are you okay nee-chan?" I asked.

She nodded. "Hai. You okay?"

I grinned. "What are you talking about, 'course I'm okay. Takes more than a little webbing to take the Moonlight Warrior down. I am the leader of the Seven Swordsman of the Moon after all."

Serena grinned back. "Good point." She agreed. "Shall we?" She took off her tiara. "Sun Tiara Magic!"

"Moon Tiara Magic!" I echoed, throwing my tiara at Bug Breath and then used Shadow Possession to hold in her place as everyone else threw their own tiaras.

She was dusted in seconds. I cheered.

"We did it!" Molly exclaimed happily. "Where's Jedite? And for that matter, where's Neflite? There's no sign of them."

I shrugged. "I've got no idea. My knife happy brother is the last person I'd expect to miss a fight, but then again, he's probably still perfecting his morpher. I can just hear the explosions. There goes another few nights of sleep."

A couple days later, we were all watching Ms. Lambert's wedding. Serena still wished she'd won the trip to Hawaii. Amy pointed out that if she caught the bouquet she might be able to start planning her honeymoon. I snorted at the idea. Serena wouldn't be getting married for a very long time if I had anything to say about it. Ms. Haruna claimed it was hers, but Ray and Serena disagreed. I threatened them with telling Sensei about their fangirl-ish behavior to make them finally stop. They (probably) didn't hear me and kept fighting over it until it was knocked out of their reach and Amy of all people caught it without even meaning to. I just laughed at their misfortune.

A few hours later, I met up with Darien.

"So," He said smiling. "You going to help me or not Asagi-chan?"

I agreed to help him with his sword work, since he was nowhere near as good as he wanted to be. I nodded. "Just be prepared to be sore tomorrow." I warned. "If I have to bruise you to make you learn the lessons, I will. Got it?"

Darien grinned. "Wouldn't have it any other way." He promised.

I grinned back. "Assume you stance." I commanded. He assumed the basic stance, but I could spot some holes in it. "Okay, stand like this." I moved him around like a puppet for the next hour until he finally got the moves and stances right without me telling him what to do. Though he didn't seem to be all that naturally talented with a sword, he was still better than I was when I first started.

"You're actually pretty good at this Darien." I commented. "It's like you've been doing it before or something."

"Actually," My boyfriend confessed, rubbing the back of his head. "I think I have, a long time ago, when the Negaverse was first causing trouble."

I blinked. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really. Thanks for the help. I probably should go now." He pointed up at the sun. "It's starting to get dark."

I shrugged. "'Kay then. See you tomorrow, probably. How much you wanna bet there's gonna be an attack soon?"

My boyfriend snorted. "I'm not betting, because I'm pretty sure you'd win that bet. Or maybe Jedite would. Stupid brat has the devil's luck."

"Like one of his two idols." I noted. "Anyway, see ya. Make sure you practice with the sword, or I'll kick your butt next week."

Darien groaned. "Alright, alright." He grumbled. "Oh, and, one more thing." Before I could react, he pulled me into an embrace and kissed me like he did right after our first date. All in all, best Thursday _ever._


	27. An Imouto's Duty

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty Seven: An Imouto's Duty<p>

_Asagi_

Serena's friends were giving me a headache. They were talking about some 'Peter' boy who won the national photography contest or something. Serena and Molly knew better than to be fangirls over him, because, tattletale or not, I _would_ tell Sensei. There was no room for a fangirl in the Sailor Scouts.

Serena thought it might be fun to sneak out of class to go see him. I came along only to keep her out of trouble, and so that I could practice a new exercise Sensei gave me, because I was the only one who could see auras.

"What are you doing imouto?" Serena asked curiously as I walked next to her, eyes half focused and half glazed.

I blinked and rubbed my eyes. "It's a new exercise from Sensei." I explained. "Basically, since I'm the only one who can see auras, I'm supposed to try to see them at will. A lot of them at that. The only reason I've been able to stay with you is because of your golden aura. No one else has an aura quite like yours."

"Hey Asagi, Serena." Ray called from where she was driving off would be annoyances. "What are you guys doing here anyway? I mean, I can see Serena sneaking out of class, but definitely not you Asagi. What's up?"

I grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, normally I wouldn't sneak out of class, but since I'm the only one who can see auras, Sensei wants me to practice. Basically the idea is to see everyone's auras at once. Honestly, the only reason I was able to get here without getting lost was because I focused on Serena's aura. Anyway, I think I'm gonna find some peaceful place to study for our math test tomorrow. See you around." I gave them a little wave over my shoulder and headed to the cliffs, math book in hand. As I sat down, I decided take a leaf out of Lee, a character from Naruto's book, and I declared; "If I cannot score at least an eighty on this math test, then I will practice with my sword for twenty extra minutes every day until the next test."

Suddenly, I felt Neflite's power flare. He must have found his next target. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I ignored it for the time being. After arriving home, Luna told me she had a new communicator for me as Serena rambled on about some contest Fisher Peter, the kid who won the national photography contest, was holding to find a super model, or something like that.

Serena decided she wanted to be a model. Sammy laughed at the idea. Jedite was busy doing something. What, I didn't know.

"Sammy," I sighed. "Is it really necessary to laugh like a hyena at Serena's idea. While it probably won't happen, anything's possible, right? Hey Mom, where's Jedite?"

Mom shrugged. "I don't know. He said something about tickets and a baseball game and Ai, and then he took off."

I laughed. "Oh I know where he's gone." I cackled. "He's gone to get tickets to the baseball game for him and Ai. This'll be good."

Jedite suddenly rushed in and raced up to his room. He didn't say a word. I was concerned when he didn't come down for dinner. I went up to his room, plate in hand, and was about to knock on the door, when I heard his voice.

"No, that won't work. Um, let's see, what about this 'hey Ai, I have a couple of tickets to the big game and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me.' No that won't work either. Argh! This is so infuriating! I can do just about anything I want, but when it comes to asking Ai on a date, I'm hopeless."

I grinned. "Yup. Like I said. Very good." The next day at the arcade, Serena was feeling kind of down because of what Sammy said. I reminded her that anything could happen. Andrew, however, was the one to cheer her up by telling her that if she wanted to be a model, she just had to go for it. I sharp glance at my boyfriend as he opened his mouth to start winding Serena up as usual stopped him from commenting along with the promise (in demonic language) that I'd beat him up if he started to annoy my sister.

"Oh, that reminds me." I said, an wicked grin lighting up my face. "Jedite's going to ask Ai on a date. He was trying to figure out how to ask her. Sounded like he was about ready to pull his hair out."

Darien looked at me, surprised. "Really? The pyromaniac prince of blowing things up is finally going to ask Ai on a date? No way!"

I grinned. "Uh, _yes_ way. I heard him trying to figure out how to ask her last night. He even missed _dinner_ over it."

"Huh. Will wonders never cease?" Serena said thoughtfully. "Anyway imouto, what about you? Do you want to enter this contest?"

I snorted. "Hell no."

"Modeling's hard work Serena." Darien added. "You've got to get up early, be on time, do exactly what you're told, and you have to watch what you eat. You can't eat any junk unless you're a half demon like Asagi and I, and can have your cake and eat it too."

My sister glared at him. "Oh, and what would you know about modeling anyway you stupid jerk?" She demanded. Good question actually.

"Actually, despite graduating from high school a year early, I couldn't find a job, so I did some modeling to help pay my tuition." My boyfriend replied.

"_You_ did modeling? No way." Serena gasped.

I was tempted to tell her, _um, Serena, I'd say, _yes_ way._ But, I didn't because I was more occupied with doing my math homework, which we had despite having a test.

"Sure did. It's not all glamour, _believe_ me."

"Yeah well, don't worry about me, I'll be just fine, thank you." Serena huffed. I shook my head. _She's asking for it._

"I'm not." Darien shot back. "You're never on time, you can't stop shoving junk food in your mouth, and you can't walk three blocks without falling and taking at least three other people with you."

I sighed. "Darien, why do you always feel the need to wind Serena up anyway?"

He shrugged. "I don't know really. I just can't stop myself. Just this feeling that comes over me. It doesn't help that she's so easy to get riled up. Anyway, I'll see ya around Asagi-chan. _Knowing Neflite, it'll be tomorrow, or some time very soon._" He added, of course, in demonic language so that Andrew wouldn't understand.

I waved. "See you." I followed Serena home to find Sammy telling Serena about this place where people went to take a lot of pictures, and he claimed she'd fit in really well. And then he nearly got wailed on when he told her it was the zoo. Serena and I both got invitations to the photo sessions on Saturday. I declined, but Serena though it would be a good way to make herself famous (though I still thought it was a scam).

"You should go imouto." Serene needled. I ignored her.

The next day I groaned as I lost my concentration due to another power flare Saturday afternoon, the day of the photo shoot. "Argh!" I sighed as I nearly pulled my hair out. "That's the tenth flare in an hour. What's going on?" I grabbed the new communicator out of my pocket and called Ai first. "Ai—"

"Negaverse situation?" She guessed.

I grinned. "You guessed it. Call the others, would you? I have a feeling it's coming from that photo shoot." I didn't have to add that Serena was there and I was worried, despite my wanting to throttle her. I couldn't help it. It was an imouto's job to worry about her nee-chan, and I'd be damned if I didn't protect my nee-chan, Neflite or not. I would do my duty as the Moonlight Warrior and stop the Negaverse and most importantly, as an imouto and save Serena.


	28. Sammy's Secret

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty Eight: Sammy's Secret<p>

_Asagi_

I sent Luna ahead to warn Serena, but she didn't believe either of us. She claimed Peter had just been spending too much time in front of a shutter bulb, and that was why he was acting so weird. I nearly tore my hair out in frustration. How could Serena be so _dense?!_ And here I thought Sensei was actually making progress with her. Tattletale or not, I'd have to tell Sensei about this to beat it out of her. Sometimes, there was only one way Serena learned anything: having it beaten into her.

I told Luna that it was hopeless and when Serena had her mind set on something, there was no changing it. Still, Luna didn't give up. She grabbed a bow from Serena's somewhat repaired, moth-bitten swimsuit and took off. I was impressed with Luna's quick thinking. I sure wouldn't've thought of that. Then again, I'd known Serena my whole life, and learned that certain tactics worked and stuck to them. Maybe it took Luna, who had only known Serena for a few short months, to get her to listen.

She ran to a patio near where the shoot was being held. Peter snapped a picture and the girls and Ms. Haruna disappeared. I was pretty glad I'd managed to talk Molly out of coming. Luna wanted to know if Serena believed her now. She did.

"Moon Prism Power!" I shouted.

"Sun Prism Power!" Serena added and together we rushed to the site of the shoot.

"Hey you!" I yelled at the possessed Peter. "Let them go, or I'll slash right through that precious camera of yours." Like Sensei, I wasn't one to idle threaten. "The Peter I know would never do this to anyone."

He didn't, so I knocked the camera out of his hands and into the water, causing a monster to appear. "Oh Moonlight Warrior," She sang. "Smile for your final portrait!"

I rolled my eyes. "Dramatic much?" I grumbled. "Seriously, can't there ever be a monster who just gets right down to trying to destroy us? That'd be a lot more fun."

An eye opened on her hand. "Negazoom!" She declared. She shot a disappearing beam at us, but we dodged it. Instead, the beam hit Peter, and he disappeared. More beams came at us, and one nearly hit Serena, but I pushed her out of the way. The beam grazed me in the process. Luckily, only direct contact made you disappear. That didn't stop it from injuring me. I got a nice long gash on my leg that bled like crazy. I'd have to wrap that later. One came at us and with my injured leg I couldn't get out of the way in time. Luna jumped in the way.

"Luna!" I cried as she disappeared.

The monster tossed me a pair of pictures, one of Luna and one of Peter. "I get to keep the negatives." She sang gleefully.

"Where are they?!" I demanded. "You give them back right this instant!"

"Now why would I want to do that?" Monster-teme asked mildly. "And why would you want to? Because as soon as I reload, you're joining them!" She pointed her hand at me, probably about to take my picture. I shoved Serena out of the way. It was my duty as an imouto to protect my nee-chan, though Serena would argue that it was the nee-chan's duty to protect her imouto, not vice versa. Unfortunately, this action caused my leg to bleed more. I couldn't move. I crossed my arms over my face in a useless attempt to protect myself as Monster-teme got ready to shoot a disappearing beam at me.

"Hold it, slimeball!" My friends called.

Ai ran over to me. "Oh dear." She sighed. "Let's get that leg tended to. From what we had dubbed our subspace pocket, Ai pulled a long ace bandage. "You'd better lay off the Sailor business until it heals." She warned. "No sense aggravating it. While you're at it, take it easy in class next time."

Because Ai was a half demon, she couldn't be a priestess like Ray, so she decided she wanted to be a doctor. If she said take it easy, I'd listen. Mostly.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Amy yelled.

Ray shot sealing tags (I forgot what they were called) at the monster. She made the disappear, and then made Ray and Amy disappear.

"Damn it!" I swore. "They're gone too! Ai, get out of here!"

"Not a chance." She shot back. "Come on. If we work together we can take her down easier than Sensei tortures us."

"They're all gone because they tried to save us." Serena cried.

I tried to stand up, only to get pushed back down by Ai. I backed up against the mirror. Wait a minute, a _mirror!_ That was how we were going to beat her. "Hey, Ai, Serena, I've got a plan." I told Ai my plan in demonic language and signed it to Serena. They nodded. So when Monster-teme tried to fire a disappearing beam at us, I rolled out of the way, and Ai and Serena jumped over it.

Monster-teme zapped herself, giving Ai and Serena the opportunity they needed to throw their tiaras at her. As usual, she was dusted.

I breathed a sigh of relief as Ai helped me up. "Thanks Ai-chan." I said, wincing as I tried to put weight on my injured leg. "Boy. I can imagine Sensei's not gonna be too happy with me for this. Yikes."

"Shit happens." Ai reminded.

"And then you fall in it." Serena finished.

I nodded, smiling. "And then you fall in it." I agreed.

At home, I was almost too tired to see the results of the modeling contest. Apparently, Peter found a new inspiration: a heroin moon princess who had long blue hair pulled into a ponytail with a white ribbon and pointed ears. I nearly swore. That looked like me, though why he thought I was a princess, I didn't know.

"Hey," Sammy asked curiously. "Where's Serena? And what happened to your leg Asagi? It looks like it's been bandaged by Dr. Ai."

I laughed. "Yes, it was bandaged by Dr. Ai Sammy. My friends and I were sparring and Moegi accidentally grazed my leg. Don't worry about it."

Sammy didn't look convinced. "Really? Are you sure it wasn't while you were fighting that monster, the one that controlled Peter?" His voice dropped to a whisper.

I stood up abruptly. "Hey, Mom, I'm gonna go sit outside." I announced. "Why don't you come too Sammy?" He gulped. He knew that despite the wording, it wasn't a question.

"Right. Coming."

As soon as he sat down, I had one thing to say; "Alright, you're going to tell me exactly how you know about us."

Sammy sighed. "Alright, alright. You act like the Moonlight Warrior. You look like her too." He replied. "And she always keeps Sailor Sun in line, like you do to Serena. I just put the pieces together. And of course, Jedite is the Red Ranger. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times; 'with the strength of a tiger! Jungle Fury Red Ranger!'"

"Yup. It's him alright. Anyway," I went back inside. "I'm going to bed. I'm tired. Goodnight Sammy-otouto."

"Goodnight Asagi-nee-chan." He replied as I crawled into bed and pulled the covers up so that they were nearly over my head. "Don't worry, I'll cover for you."

But I didn't hear him. I was already sound asleep.


	29. The Flute Fails

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Twenty Nine: The Flute Fails<p>

_Asagi_

A couple days after our fight with the camera monster, Serena was surprisingly up early. Dad had the paper open. Mom commented on how Sammy's friend Mica won a prize for her dolls. Apparently, her mother was already quite famous for her dolls. Dad said talent ran in the family. I agreed and thought certain other things ran in certain families (saving the world ran in our family), though I didn't voice it. That would raise some awkward questions.

Serena pretended to be a reporter as I headed out the door, asking Sammy something about what it was like to have a girlfriend who was famous.

Sammy blushed as he ran out of the house. Serena got a detention as usual for being late. How she managed to be late even when she got up early was a mystery to me.

After school, two of Sammy's classmates approached us. They apparently didn't like Sammy anymore, because his friend Mica (coughs girlfriend coughs) had given him a doll, but when some other kid had taunted them about being in love he tried to give it back, only for it to fall on the ground. I think he was in shock, so that was why he didn't do anything to help.

"He was probably just in shock that Mica's prize-winning doll broke because of him." I informed, knowing my otouto well enough. "But, none the less, I'll talk to him. Ow." I winced as a sudden pain shot through my injured leg. I scowled and went off on a muttered tangent in demonic language about camera monsters with disappearing beams. Absentmindedly, I played with the necklace I'd gotten from Molly's mom's jewelry store, the one I got the day I first became the Moonlight Warrior.

When I got home, I heard explosions coming from Jedite's room. I wondered why that might be (he was done with his morpher).

However, I ignored them for now in favor of talking to Sammy. I knocked on his door. "Yo." I said as I stepped in. He was trying to write a letter to Mica about how sorry he was that her doll got broken.

He sighed. "Hey nee-chan. What's up? I guess you head about what happened earlier, huh?" He guessed. "I've been trying to write a letter to Mica, but I just can't seem to get the words right! It's so _frustrating!_"

"You look like you're about ready to tear your hair out." I commented, amused. I noted several ripped up pieces of paper on the floor. "Why don't you just go over to her house and apologize to her in person? It can't be any worse than nearly tearing your hair out in frustration, trying and failing to write a letter to her. If you want, I'll even come and back you up. So what do you say?" He considered my words. On one hand, he wouldn't have to face his girlfriend's potential wrath, but on the other, he could grovel at her feet and she'd probably forgive him if he did so.

"Okay." He said at last. "But only if you come and back me up."

I grinned. "Of course otouto. I wouldn't leave my favorite otouto to the mercy of his girlfriend's potential wrath."

"Nee-chan!" He objected, but didn't protest other than that. I walked Sammy to Mica's house, where she had a visitor in a fancy red car. Of course, who should step out of said car but Neflite-teme?

I scowled and rubbed my ear (a habit I'd picked up from Shiori, fellow half demon and one of the only non-Swordsmen members of our training group) and went off on a muttered tangent in demonic language. "_Humph. 'Maxfield Stanton' indeed._ _Stupid Neflite picking on our friends. Stupid Queen Beryl, stupid Negaverse, stupid energy stealers, stupid _stupidness." I grumbled. "_Why does he always have to pick on someone we know? I'll get him back for this._"

"Uh, nee-chan?" Sammy asked hesitantly. "You just went off on a muttered tangent about someone. All I could understand was 'Neflite' and 'stupid' and 'Queen Beryl' and 'energy stealers.' Is Neflite related to Jedite-nii-san?"

"They're half brothers." I explained as I turned around to go home. "Jedite actually has two brothers and a sister, and all of their names end it -ite."

Sammy raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

I nodded. "Neflite, or 'Maxfield Stanton' as is the name he's been using, is the oldest, and from what Jedite tells me, he's the semi-legitimate kid 'cause he's out of Isis, so he's always going on about 'fate.' Jedite hardly even acknowledges that he and Neflite are brothers. Then there's Malachite. Malachite is the second oldest, and Jedite's favorite older brother. Then finally, his sister Zoycite is just barely older than he is, and his favorite sister. Jedite's the youngest. Actually, before we purified Jedite, he was one of Beryl's generals. So is Neflite, as well as Zoycite, and Malachite. We used some sort of purification ritual on Jedite to make him turn back to the way he was, but we haven't had a good chance to do it to Neflite, because for one it requires seven people to perform."

"Wow, I didn't know that!" My favorite little brother exclaimed. "That's so cool!"

I laughed and gave him a good natured grin as I opened the door for him. "Why don't we try again to apologize to Mica tomorrow? It might have been her mom Neflite was after." I suggested. "I'm sure that if you get down on your hands and knees and grovel, she'll forgive you otouto. Maybe you could give her a present too. I know a lot of girls like presents. Since you can't really make dolls like her, you could give her sketches of all of us Sailor Scouts and Swordsmen, and of course Jedite and his Red Ranger-ness. Give it a shot, and if it doesn't work, you can try something else. Okay otouto?" He huffed and scowled and grumbled about how he wasn't little as I opened the door for him and he went inside and trudged up to his bedroom.

The next day, we went back to Mica's house, and something was terribly wrong. Apparently, 'Maxfield Stanton' had asked Mica to make ten more dolls like the one she just made, and she'd been working on them ever since. Her mother told her to stop but she wouldn't listen and pushed her instead. So she asked us to try to talk to her.

"Mica dear," She began. "Sammy and his sister Asagi are here to see you."

"I'm busy." Sammy's girlfriend growled. This was totally unlike her.

"Mica!" Sammy shouted. "I'd like to talk to you!"

"Leave me alone!" Mica bellowed. Not a good sign. Then I remembered the flute Sensei had given me during the clock incident. I drew it from its case and began to play, hoping that I could break the spell on Mica. I activated my aura sight. It was a grey color (like the clay she worked with), but was overlapped by black, like Neflite's aura. Slowly, the black began to disappear, much to my immense relief. The flute was working its magic, luckily.

However, something happened, and though I played on, the sound suddenly stopped and the black reappeared.

I cursed under my breath, going off on yet another muttered tangent in demonic language, this time, about the flute failing. And then of course my injury, despite being nearly healed, decided that it was going to get worse in the presence of Neflite's aura.

Oh swell.


	30. Two New Teammates

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty: Two New Teammates<p>

_Asagi_

I cringed as my injury started bleeding again. "Oh swell." I muttered under my breath before I bowed to Mica's mother. "Cassidy-san, I think we should go now. I'm not sure what made my injury start bleeding again," A half-truth. "But I'd better get it treated. Goodbye, and I hope you have better luck with Mica-chan than we did. The best of luck to you." Leaning on Sammy as we made our way home, I limped heavily. "Sammy, call Ai and tell her it's urgent." I ordered once I'd sat down on my bed.

"Sure nee-chan." He agreed. "What's the number?" I gave it to him. He grabbed the phone and quickly dialed Ai's number. "Hello? Ai? Asagi said to tell you it's urgent. Her injury started bleeding again, the one she got from the camera monster."

Ai said something I couldn't hear, though if I knew her, she probably sighed and told Sammy she'd be over as soon as possible and that he needed to stop the bleeding or at least try to with whatever he could.

Luna came and jumped up on Sammy's bed. She gasped when she saw my injury bleeding again. "Asagi! What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." I dismissed. She gave me a look. "Okay maybe I'm not, but I _will_ be fine once Ai gets here. I'm more worried about Sammy's girlfriend Mica—"

"Hey!"

"Being possessed by Neflite and the flute failing." I finished, ignoring my little brother's outburst. "It seems like more people close to us are the targets of Negaverse attacks."

However, I was interrupted when Jedite strode into the room, beaming proudly and holding up something that looked remarkably like a morpher. "It's finished!" He declared, and tossed it to Sammy. "Here you go otouto. Try it out and I'll give you your first assignment sometime soon."

Sammy beamed. "Thanks nii-san." He slipped the morpher onto his wrist. "Okay, shift into Turbo! Red Lightning, Turbo Power!" He shouted, and then morphed into the Red Turbo Ranger. Somehow, I wasn't surprised he was Red.

I burst out laughing. "Damn. Now saving the world really has become a family affair." I joked. "I'm the Moonlight Warrior, Sammy's the Red Turbo Ranger, Jedite is the Jungle Fury Red Ranger, and Serena is Sailor Sun."

"Yo." A familiar voice interrupted. "Who's the new guy? Don't tell me saving the world really has become a family affair for you Tsukinos." No doubt about it, it was Ai.

I grinned and waved. "Otouto, if you'd demorph, we can show Ai exactly who you are."

Sammy seemed to grin beneath his helmet. "Power down!" He announced.

Ai did as I had just minutes before: she burst out laughing. "Man, and I thought it was a family affair for Ray and I." She laughed. "But seriously, you Tsukinos have _four_ members in on the 'save the world' business. Anyway Asagi-chan, let's have a look at that leg of yours." Sammy, preoccupied with his new morpher, hadn't quite managed to stop the bleeding, so I was still dripping blood all over the floor.

Sammy winced. "Sorry Dr. Ai, I was a little too preoccupied with my new morpher to stop the bleeding completely."

Ai waved a hand as she set her doctor's bag down (how she got it, I have no idea). "That's fine Sammy. You and Jedite, being the big strong boys you are, probably have more muscle power than we do, so we'll need you to hold the rag on Asagi's leg. Asagi, you're _not_ to help." She scolded, seeing me reach down to try to help them. "Lay back, and do it now, or I'll chain you back with this cool new ability I've discovered."

I raised an eyebrow as I reached down to try to help stop the bleeding. Sammy swatted my hand away for my troubles. "Oh?"

Ai bent her right arm to a ninety degree angle and jerked it upwards. Golden chains erupted out of nowhere and pinned me to the bed. "I call it, chakra chains." She announced. "Pretty useful for pinning things down."

I grinned ruefully. "Aye, that it is. Now can you let me up?"

"Sorry imouto," Jedite said gleefully, obviously enjoying this. "But if Ai-hime—"

I sniggered. "Ai-_hime?_ Since when is it Ai-hime?" I taunted. They both turned a brilliant shade of red. "So, are you two dating yet?"

"Sh- shut up!" They stammered in unison.

"Ai and Jedite sittin' in a tree!" Sammy and I sang in unison. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes—"

"Shut up!" They screamed.

I just laughed at their misfortune. Finally, after my injury was all patched up again, we went to spy on Mica. "Do you see anything Luna?" I called up to my cat, who was looking at the window, and hopefully getting an idea of what Mica was up to.

"No, she's got the curtains closed." Luna called back.

"That's weird." Serena frowned. "Sammy told me she hasn't been to school in quite a few days, and that's really unlike her."

"Hey look," Amy pointed as she noticed the poster on the wall. "The doll exhibit this Saturday. Surely she'll go to that."

So we agreed that we would meet at the doll exhibit on Saturday. I decided that it was time to make a private phone call.

I quickly found a payphone booth and dialed my boyfriend's number. "_Yo._" I said when he answered. "_We've got a problem. A Neflite problem._"

I imagined he tensed. "_Not a problem. When and where?_" He asked.

"_The doll exhibit. This Saturday. Make sure you bring your sword. Things might get ugly._" I warned. "_Where do you want to meet? I don't want anyone seeing us together, especially not Ray thank you very much!_"

Darien laughed. "_The park? Or should I say _your_ park?_"

I grinned sheepishly. "_Sure. See you at the park on Saturday then. Bye._"

Naturally, Ray tried to snag Darien to go to the doll show with her, but I rescued him by threatening that if she didn't stop stalking him, I'd make her practice the army crawl in Sailor form, and every time I saw her backside sticking up, I'd put an arrow through. Stalker.

Once Saturday rolled around, I was ecstatic. This was technically only my third date with Darien, if you counted going out on the lake in the boat the day I bought the park.

"You ready?" He asked as we looked around.

I nodded. "You bet I am." We looked around for Mica, and found her working on the last of her ten dolls for 'Maxfield Stanton.' On the way though, we passed Neflite, and for a single tense moment, I was afraid he recognized us. We met Sammy on the way. He had the sketches of us he'd made for Mica.

A monster appeared from the doll and Sammy dropped the sketches as he was blown backwards. I took things into my own hands.

I drew my sword. "Moon Prism Power!" The monster, which seemed to be made out of doll parts, somehow commanded the dolls to attack us. I dodged by jumping out the window.

Luckily, Ai arrived just in time and held it down with her newfound chakra chains ability. Monster-teme still managed to shoot her arms or whatever at us. Amy detected a weak point in her right foot. We tried and tried to stab her there as Ai held her down with the chakra chains, but she kept shooting her arms at us, forcing us back. Finally, Darien intervened. All he said was; "Stab her." And I happily complied. While Serena threw her tiara at the same spot, I rushed forward and stabbed her in the foot. I decided there was one last thing to do.

"Sammy!" My brother's girlfriend was saying. "Are you okay?"

"Mica, I'm sorry about your doll."

I waved at my little brother and his girlfriend. "Yo. Glad to see you two up. Oh Sammy, I believe your sketches are still just fine. See ya." I jumped away though with my sensitive ears and some slight wind manipulation, I was able to track their conversation.

Sammy grinned. "My nee-chan is so awesome." He gushed.

Mica gasped. "Your nee-chan is the Moonlight Warrior?"

He grinned. "Actually, saving the world has become a family affair. Serena is Sailor Sun, Asagi is the Moonlight Warrior, Jedite is the Jungle Fury Red Ranger, and though I haven't officially made my public debut, I'm the Red Turbo Ranger." He bent down to pick up his sketches as I entered the room, not transformed of course.

I waved. "Yo."

"Is it true that you're the Moonlight Warrior?" Mica demanded.

I drew my sword and handed it to her. "Careful with it." I cautioned. "Yes, I'm the Moonlight Warrior. This is how I transform, actually. I hold it up and shout 'Moon Prism Power,' though in anyone else's hands, I'm pretty sure it won't work."

"Can I join in?" Mica begged.

I blinked. "Sure. You want to be a Ranger, or what? I'm sure Jedite could make you a morpher. He created his, after all, and Sammy's. Just one thing though, if you want to be a Ranger and help save the world, you'll have to come to my sensei's class and train with us. You will too Sammy."

"We'll do it!" They announced in unison.

I grinned. Two new teammates in the same day, and a date with Darien. Pretty good if I do say so myself, and I did. That thought in mind, I raced home to tell Jedite of the new development.


	31. Fake Love Letters

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty One: Fake Love Letters<p>

_Asagi_

"Okay you two, do you remember the rules I told you about?" I asked Mica and Sammy as I stood outside of the Dojo.

"One: don't whine. Two: use your brain. Three: don't be arrogant. Four: don't be late to class. Five: InuYasha-sensei's word is law." They recited.

I beamed. "Exactly." I pushed the doors open. "Sensei, I have two new recruits: my younger brother Sammy and his girlfriend Mica."

"What are they?" Sensei asked.

"Well, Sammy is the Red Turbo Ranger, and Mica, once Jedite is done blowing things up to create her morpher, will be the Yellow Turbo Ranger." I explained. "And I ask that you punish Serena. I don't mean to tattletale, but she doesn't take Sailor business seriously enough, and she made an excuse for Peter while he was possessed by Neflite. For that, I believe that she deserves extra conditioning today."

InuYasha-sensei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Alright then, extra conditioning it is." He agreed as the subject of our conversation walked in along with the other Scouts. My fellow half demons and Swordsmen were already there. "Serena, I hear you made excuses for Peter, and you don't take Sailor business seriously enough. Is that true?"

Serena glared at me. I sighed. "Serena, we're the world's defenders. It's up to us to make sure none of Neflite's monsters kill anyone. That means, we have to be prepared for anything, and making excuses for someone possessed by Neflite isn't being prepared. Besides, you're my precious nee-chan, my only sister. I don't want to lose you because you don't take Sailor business seriously enough. Does that make sense?"

Serena sighed. "Yes imouto, it makes sense." She bowed to Sensei. "Yes, I made excuses for Peter and I probably don't take Sailor business seriously enough. Punish me as you will."

Sensei decided that since she admitted that she made excuses for Peter and she didn't take Sailor business seriously enough, the punishment wouldn't be as bad as if she had tried to deny it, luckily for her.

"Now for you Asagi, I have a special kind of training for you." Sensei continued as Darien walked in. "Darien, you were almost late."

"Sorry Sensei." Darien apologized. "I'll be earlier next time."

"Good. Now for your training Asagi I have something special in mind," My eyes lit up. It was gonna be something awesome. He chucked, amused. "Don't think I don't know about your injury Asagi. Today, you'll be doing patience training."

I spluttered in indignation. "Patience training?"

Sensei grinned, thoroughly amused. "Yes, Asagi, patience training. I'm not going to let you do anything big with your leg all bandaged up like that. Moegi, while you do your usual exercises, could you make sure Asagi doesn't get up? She's going to be meditating, but we all know how Asagi is. I think the only reason she sits still in school is because she has to if she wants to get good grades."

Moegi nodded and came over to watch me and make sure I didn't get up. "You know, you really do need to learn to be more patient Asagi-chan." She reminded, smirking. "It really is for your own good, despite protests to the contrary."

"Humph." However, none the less, I meditated the whole time, just to prove that I could. Moegi owed me ten dollars after that (she bet me I couldn't sit still the whole time and meditate because I hated sitting still). I also learned that by meditating I could see everyone's auras, and bits of residual aura on inanimate objects. I didn't know it, but this would be very helpful later.

Later when we got home, there were a pair of love letters in the mail slot. One was addressed to me and the other was addressed to Serena.

I frowned as I opened it. "Come to the shopping center at nine tomorrow night. I have to see you again. Your Tuxedo Mask." I read aloud. I scowled at the thing. "This is _not_ from Tuxedo Mask. It's not his handwriting." I grabbed one of Darien's lost to the wind letters, as I liked to call them. I compared the handwriting, and sure enough, the flowery handwriting on the love letter didn't match the neat, much easier to read handwriting on the lost to the wind letter.

Serena cheered from her room, singing something about how she had a date with Tuxedo Mask. In Jedite's room, for once, the explosions had stopped and he was talking to Sammy, though I couldn't make out the words.

The next day at school, everyone else had received a similar letter from Tuxedo Mask. I growled under my breath. I was going to get to the bottom of this mystery, starting with talking to my boyfriend. There was no way he wrote such a stupid, sappy letter, and in such flowery handwriting. It had to be someone impersonating Darien/Tuxedo Mask. So after I sent him one of my lost to the wind letters, I decided to go find him, starting at the arcade. That was generally my first place to look, since he seemed to be there a lot. I walked into the Crown Arcade, scowling and rubbing my ear.

"Hey Darien, why do you always go for that one anyway?" I heard Andrew ask. Then he noticed me. "Uh oh. Someone's irritated. What's up?"

I sighed and held out the fake love letter. "This. Tuxedo Mask apparently sent them to everyone at my school, telling them to meet him at the shopping center tonight at nine. I don't believe it's him. I mean, what reason would he have to invite a bunch of girls to the shopping center late at night? It makes absolutely no sense to me. Not one little bitty bit."

Darien could barely keep the shock off my face. "But I did— I'm sure," He hastily amended. "That Tuxedo Mask wouldn't send love letters to everyone. That is weird Asagi-chan. Do you still have yours?"

I handed it to him. "_If you did write something so sappy, Sensei would flay you by way of a sarcastic ribbing and would torment you so bad that you wouldn't be able to show your face in class for weeks, and even then, maybe not. That's not your handwriting either. Stupid Neflite impersonating Tuxedo Mask._"

I felt Sammy's power flare just outside of the arcade. "Sammy, I know you're there." I warned. "So you can come out now."

My little brother scowled as he came into the arcade. "Alright you caught me. I was on an assignment for Jedite. My first task as a Ranger." He explained.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Sammy grinned. "Yeah, I was to discover the identity of Tuxedo Mask." He looked at Darien. "And it's you. That's why Asagi was so convinced Tuxedo Mask didn't send those letters: because he _didn't._"

I blinked. "Sammy, you realize you just spoke in Latin."

"What? That's weird. Didn't Serena do that, that day the park was going to be torn down before y- the Moonlight Warrior bought it?" He asked, cursing himself under his breath at his near slipup. I shot him a warning glance. "Oh, and Molly said she had something she wanted to talk to you about."

I raised an eyebrow again. "Oh?" I repeated.

He nodded. "Yeah. It involves Maxfield Stanton apparently."

"Okay, now this I've got to hear." I said. "So then, I'm going to see Molly. By the way, tell Jedite that he's in for an ass whooping when I get home. He's gonna pay for having you spy one me."


	32. Someone's Watching Over Me

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty Two: Someone's Watching Over Me<p>

_Asagi_

Molly's plan was to go alone and try to lure Neflite/Maxfield Stanton out into the open, where we could pounce on him and reveal him as the phony he was. She didn't manage to expose him, but she still put up a pretty good fight. "Eris Power!" She cried, holding the reddish brown stick in the air. In a flash, she was transformed into Sailor Eris. She knelt and placed a hand on the ground. "Earth Wall!" A giant wall of rock shot up between her and Neflite. She clapped her hands together before she placed them on the wall. A spike shot out of it, and ripped Neflite's uniform. He cursed at Molly, who only shot more spikes at him.

I whistled. "Go Molly." I said, amazed. However, Neflite managed to break though the wall and collect Molly's energy. So then I decided to step in. "Moon Prism Power!" Neflite was muttering something to himself about her energy being potent stuff. I chose this moment to step in. "Yo! Fate obsessed teme from the Negaverse!"

"What?! Who's there?!" The aforementioned fate obsessed teme demanded.

I stepped out of hiding, a determined fire burning in my eyes. "You know me, for I am the half demon swordsman who defends the innocent. When darkness falls and evil prays upon my home, I will be there, poised to strike. I will defend my home and everyone in it. I am the Moonlight Warrior, the leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Moon, and I'll destroy you, because that's a promise by the moon."

Neflite used some weird attack to multiply himself and then turn himself into the star points of the Leo constellation, which became solid and attacked me. I ran, looking for a good opportunity to jump over it, when Neflite used chakra strings to trip me. I drew my sword, prepared to stab it, when it was hit by a rose. I looked to see my boyfriend standing in the doorway of an elevator. "Yo."

I sighed. "You and your dramatic entrances. You're late."

He grinned. "Sorry, I had to save a drowning fish." My boyfriend joked.

I slapped myself. "You do realize that's the stupidest excuse I've ever heard?"

"Sorry. Mind if I cut in?" Darien asked hopefully. "I think it's time to put yours and Sensei's training to the test, what do you think?"

I waved a hand. "If you don't mind me providing support from the background."

"Great. I'll take the kitty and you take the phony." Darien announced.

I groaned. "You call a lion that's about to eat you a kitty? You're something else." His only response was to grin at me as he stepped forward, cane in hand.

He dropped a flash bomb and I ran after Neflite. Darien drew his sword and tried to contend with the lion, but the thing was nearly indestructible. So we beat a hasty retreat to think of a plan in the elevator. However, Neflite bewitched the elevator to go up and then go down at rapid speeds (he said something about the laws of gravity and what goes up what must go down) to smash Darien and I flat as a pancake. "We have to get out of here." Darien said. "There has to be a way to stop this thing." I wanted to know how or with what, because Neflite had the thing completely bewitched. Darien looked around for a moment before jabbing his cane upwards. "This way. Come on, we have to hurry. As soon as it stops, we have to jump."

I grinned. "No need to tell me twice." The elevator stopped. I jumped and grabbed onto the nearby ledge. It wasn't, however, big enough to stand on. "Darien, can you manipulate your chakra to walk on walls?"

He shook his head. "No, not yet."

I sighed. "Alright, so I'll walk up the wall and pull you up then." Channeling chakra to my feet, I walked up the wall. "Grab my hand on three. One, two three." Darien reached up and grabbed my hand. I hauled him up. "You know, this would be a lot easier if you knew how to walk on walls. Then I wouldn't have to haul your heavy self up here."

"Are you saying I weigh a lot?" Darien demanded playfully.

"Why as a matter of fact, yes I am." I retorted. I yanked him upward, but he was too heavy for me to hold onto him. "Okay, it's time for a crash course in wall walking, you're too heavy."

"Channel chakra to my feet, right?" He guessed.

"Yes, but it has to be a steady amount." I cautioned. "Too much and you'll blast off. Too little and you won't stick at all."

"Got it. Okay, here goes." Closing his eyes, he focused for a brief moment as his hands formed the Ram seal. When he opened them again, he planted his feet on the wall, and stuck, much to my relief. I released the death grip I had on him, but held onto his hand in case he blasted off.

"Keep a steady amount." I instructed. "And above all else, don't look down. I know, it's easier said than done, but if you look down, then your mind will be completely focused on what a long way down to the bottom it is."

"Then make me focus on something else." Darien ordered.

I nodded. "Alright. What if I sing you a song? This one is called 'Someone's watching over me.'"

He grinned. "Great, I love your singing." I tapped the beat on the walls until I had a good idea of the tune, then began when I was ready.

"Found myself today.  
>Oh I found myself and ran away.<br>Something pulled me back.  
>The voice of reason I forgot I had.<br>All I know is you're not hear to say,  
>What you always used to say,<br>But it's written in the sky tonight."

Darien rapped on the walls with a fist to the tune as I began the next verse.

"So I won't give up.  
>No I won't break down.<br>Sooner than it seems life turns around.  
>And I will be strong,<br>Even if it all goes wrong.  
>When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe,<br>Someone's watching over me."

We managed to haul ourselves up as the other members of the Sailor Team, Sammy now included, opened the doors for us.

"Seen that ray of light,  
>And it's shining on my destiny.<br>Shining all the time.  
>And I won't be afraid,<br>To follow everywhere it's taking me.  
>All I know is yesterday is gone,<br>And right now I belong,  
>To this moment to my dreams."<p>

Unlike they usually did, Serena and Ray didn't instantly mob Darien in unnecessary displays of affection he didn't return. That certainly came as a surprise, considering their crushes on him. Not that they knew who he was, and that was a source of endless amusement to me.

"So I won't give up.  
>No I won't break down.<br>Sooner than it seems life turns around.  
>And I will be strong,<br>Even if it all goes wrong.  
>When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe,<br>Someone's watching over me."

Everyone tapped their hands or feet to the tune, enjoying my singing, though why they thought it was so good, I had no idea.

"It doesn't matter what people say,  
>It doesn't matter how long it takes.<br>Believe in yourself and you'll fly high.  
>And it only matters how true you are.<br>Be true to yourself and follow your heart."

Someone used a Genjutsu to create a stage on top of the roof. I imagined it was Jedite, or maybe Sammy, because they were my brothers and they lived to torment me.

"So I won't give up.  
>No I won't break down.<br>Sooner than it seems life turns around.  
>And I will be strong,<br>Even if it all goes wrong.  
>When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe,<br>That I won't give up.  
>No I won't break down.<br>Sooner than it seems life turns around.  
>And I will be strong,<br>Even when it all goes wrong.  
>When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe,<br>That someone's watching over,  
>Someone's watching over,<br>Someone's watching over me.  
>Someone's watching over me."<p>

Everyone clapped, not even noticing that Darien had pulled his disappearing act again.


	33. Protection For Energy

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty Three: Protection for Energy<p>

_Asagi_

I sighed as Serena started gushing over the new Sailor V movie. She really wanted to see it, but I had no interest in it. I didn't see why she couldn't help me assemble a file of people who Neflite had so far attacked. I was trying to find a patter to his attacks so that maybe I could find the next person. First was Molly's almost sister Katie, then Mr. Baxter, then Ms. Lambert, then Peter, then Mica. So far, I didn't see a pattern. They had nothing in common, other than they all had something that Neflite bewitched. Why would Neflite go after random humans?

Did it have something to do with the fact that he was a fate obsessed teme who thought everything was ruled by the stars?

Although, I did notice that he went after girls more often than he did boys; out of five victims, three of them, Mica, Mrs. Lambert, Kate, had been girls. Mr. Baxter and Peter were the exceptions to that rule. I had a feeling he'd go after a girl next.

I sighed and gave up for the night, deciding there was some weird way he chose his targets that I wasn't aware of.

However, as soon as my head hit the pillow, I found myself in a familiar place: the castle on the moon. I frowned. "Why would I be here of all places?"

Suddenly, Darien appeared beside me. He waved. "Yo."

I sighed. "What are you doing here? Did you call me here?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I thought you might have called me here."

"Actually," A voice spoke up. "That would be me." A woman with long silver hair styled in the same way Serena's and Serena's same bright blue eyes appeared.

"Mother!" I gasped, not knowing quite why I did.

Darien kneeled. "Your Majesty."

The woman laughed. "Darien, I don't suppose you remember this, but if I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, time and again I swear, that you don't need to kneel in front of me. I suppose you two want to know why I called you here?"

"Yes." We replied in unison.

She smiled. "As I'm sure you know, I was once the queen of the moon. I have information on Neflite's next target: a girl named Lori, a student at the animation school working on the new Sailor V movie. And Asagi, kindly warn your brothers that they're going about making Mica's morpher wrong."

"Wrong?" I voiced. "What do you mean, how is it wrong?"

"Boys and girls are different, and so far, they've only had to make morphers for themselves. However, Mica's morpher, because it's a girl's morpher, should be different. I'll show them how to do it, but for now, have them stop. Alright?"

"Hai." I agreed. "I'll tell them. Sayonara Mother."

"Sayonara Asagi-chan, Darien. We'll meet again soon." The woman said before the castle on the moon disappeared.

I looked at the clock, which told me it was six thirty. Sighing, I got up and got dressed, waking Serena up as well. "Yo, Serena." I shook her. "Hey Serena, you gotta get up or you'll be late again. Come on Serena, or I'll tell Sensei to give you extra conditioning, again. Now come on, or you'll make us both late for school."

On the way to school, we found a pair of girls named Cassie and Lori walking to their school, the animation school working on the Sailor V movie. I nearly gasped. The black haired girl, Lori, was Neflite's next target.

"Hey Serena," I said casually, trying to disguise the note of urgency in my voice. "Wanna hear a song on my flute?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that for you-know-what business?"

I jerked my head at the girls. "A certain relation to our brother is interested in the black haired girl with glasses." I explained. "I wanted to try something out, to see if maybe I could divert his interest. I doubt it'll work, but I've gotta try."

"How do you know? Did you find a pattern?"

I shook my head. "No, still no pattern. A woman with silver hair styled like yours and your same blue eyes told me in a dream last night. Anyway," I drew the case from my single strap messenger bag and once I had the flute, I put the case back in my bag and raised the flute to my lips.

_A protection spell._ I prayed. _Powers of the moon, please protect Lori from Neflite's latest attempt to gather energy for the Negaforce._

_You want protection for that girl?_ A disembodied voice asked. _What will you be willing to give in return?_

_What would I have to give?_ I shot back. _I'm not giving up drastic. However, I will give up all of my energy for twenty four hours, one day, in exchange for this girl being protected from Neflite. Do we have a deal?_

I heard the voice sigh. _Very well, we have a deal, although next time, I expect a little more respect from you, Hanyo-hime._

I put the flute away without answering.

"Imouto?" Serena asked. "Did it work?"

I nodded. "It sure did. Though I'm wondering if there might be some sort of semblance of a pattern to Neflite's victims after all."

"You mean how he mostly targets girls?" Molly asked from my left side. "You just stood there for two minutes, playing the flute. Did your idea work?"

I nodded as we hurried to school. "Yeah, it did. Like you said, Neflite mostly targets girls. First it was your almost sister Katie, then it was Mr. Baxter, then Mrs. Lambert, then Peter, and then it was Mica. This time, it's a black haired girl wearing glasses, named Lori. She goes to the animation school that's working on the new Sailor V movie."

"So did you get Neflite to leave her alone?" Molly asked curiously. "That had to be what you were doing, unless she was already possessed, which I doubt. So did you?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Some voice agreed. I offered all of my energy for twenty four hours in return. When the voice will take said energy I don't know. But I do know that for one day or so, I'll be completely drained, and I doubt I'll be able to move. Anyway, we should get going. I'll return this," I held up a folder, which contained several drawings of Sailor V. I thought they were pretty good. Sammy quality sketches for sure. I looked at my new watch. It read 7:00 in little black numbers. I looked at my sister and my friend. "Come on you guys. Let's go. We'll wait and see how the whole protection thing plays out later. Right now, we really need to get to school."

So with those final words, I took off running to school, my sister and my friend and comrade in arms right behind me.


	34. Hiding in Plain Sight

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty Four: Hiding in Plain Sight<p>

_Asagi_

I returned the folder to Lori, who was completely oblivious, that night. Outside I saw Neflite. It seemed that the mysterious woman from my dream was right: Lori was the next victim. Neflite was so shocked when he found out his magic wouldn't work. I think he nearly wet himself in frustration. This was way too good, so I took a few pictures from the shadows of him just about tearing his hair out, the ones that developed as soon as they came out of the camera (thanks to Jedite and his sealing talent, in one of my numerous sealing scrolls, I had an old camera stashed away, the one that gave you the photos as soon as you took them). It was, after all, perfect blackmail material for when we finally purified him. I could only imagine the havoc Jedite would wreak with these photos.

"Oh Jedite," I sang as I opened the door to his room. "I have something for you."

"Not now." He snapped. "Can't you see that Sammy and I are busy trying to create Mica's morpher? You _do_ want her to be a Ranger, don't you?"

"You're going about it the wrong way." I informed him. "I don't know what the right way is, but that's what this mysterious woman said in my dream last night."

"Long, silver, Serena meatball styled hair, blue eyes of the same shade, upturned crescent moon on her forehead, like yours?" My brother listed off.

I nodded. "Yeah. Have you been having dreams about her?"

Jedite nodded. "Yeah, a few. They started last week. She told me that very soon, we would find the ones they seek, but for now, it would be impossible to find them, and they would reveal themselves when the time is right. She also said that we wouldn't find the Imperium Silver Crystal just by looking, and that we must first unite the Rainbow."

"The ones we seek?" I repeated. "Could that be the princesses of the sun and moon?"

He nodded again. "I think so. So, what's this you have for me?"

I showed pictures in my hand. "They're of your least favorite brother's failure to bewitch something of someone's and plant a monster inside of said something." I explained. "Well, of his reaction to it anyway. Check 'em out, they're prime blackmail material."

"Really?" He asked eagerly. "Okay, this I gotta see!"

I laughed and handed the photos over. "Here you go Jedite." I said, seeing that he was practically foaming at the mouth.

_Hanyo-hime, I have decided that tomorrow I will take all of your energy. Tell your parents that you do not feel well and wish to stay home. Act normal. Do not let them suspect anything. They would be in grave danger if they found out that you are the Moonlight Warrior._ The voice from earlier informed me.

I nodded, and not realizing I spoke aloud, I replied; "Hai."

"Um, Asagi-chan?" Sammy asked cautiously. "What's going on?"

I sighed. "Long story short: this morning I made a deal with someone, though I don't know his name, that if Lori, Neflite's would be victim, was protected from said Neflite, I would give that someone all of my energy for twenty four hours. I'm supposed to tell Mom and Dad that I'm not feeling well."

"Oh. So I guess it's safe to assume you'll be staying home tomorrow, right?" Sammy asked. "If you do, I'll stay home with you." His eyes twinkled. I think he just wanted a way to get out of school for the day. Sammy hated school with a burning passion.

I sighed. "Sammy, you have school, and you really do need to get good grades in it." I reminded. "Or do you want Sensei to punish you for having bad grades?"

My little brother shrugged. "I'll just get Jedite-nii-san to help me with my homework, and Mica-chan will bring me said homework."

I sighed. "Look, I know you don't like school because you're dyslexic-"

"Understatement."

"But you really should go. It's not like I'll actually be sick, remember?" I reminded, ignoring his protest of understatement of the century. "Just drained. So I won't hear any reasons as to why you can't go to school tomorrow."

His face broke into a sly grin. "But what if I was sick too?"

I groaned. "Sammy!"

"Yes nee-chan?"

"Sammy, you're going to school tomorrow, and that's that."

_The next morning_

"I can't believe you managed to talk them into this." I grumbled.

Sammy beamed. "I'm evil, I know, thank you." He pretended to bow to an invisible audience. "But someone had to stay home to take care of you while you're sick."

"And I'm not really sick, remember?" I reminded. "Just drained. I've got barely enough energy to function so that Mom and Dad don't get suspicious. I'll need to sleep from time to time, but that'll just help maintain the image that I'm sick. The voice said that they would be in grave danger if they found out I'm the Moonlight Warrior. I'm assuming the same goes for Serena being Sailor Sun, you being the Red Turbo Ranger, and Jedite being the Jungle Fury Red Ranger."

"Okay, so we can't tell them until it's all over. Anyway, anything you want to eat?" He asked heading downstairs. "I'm going to make pasta."

I grinned. "Pasta sounds awesome."

Suddenly, Jedite burst into the room. "Asagi-chan, Asagi-chan, I have a message from Queen Serenity!" He announced.

I gave him a blank look. "Who?"

"The queen, from the moon. She's the one who looks like a silver haired Serena." He explained. "Anyway, I have a message from her."

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class? You know, so you don't get bad grades?"

"I left a Shadow Clone." He said dismissively.

I rolled my eyes. "And what will your Shadow Clone actually _do?_"

Jedite poked his fingers together. "That's classified?" He tried.

I slapped my head. "Just give me the message from Queen Serenity."

"Alright, alright." He grumbled. "She told me how to make the morphers for girls. She also said that 'the ones you seek are hiding in plain sight.'"


	35. Princess Diamond's Party

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty Five: The Party<p>

_Asagi_

The morning started out how every morning did: Serena was late. There was a big traffic jam because the police were making security checks. How weird.

Once Serena got to school, Melvin informed her that Princess Diamond was in town and was having a big party to show off all of her family's jewels.

"Who's Princess Diamond?" Serena asked, confused. I was wondering the same thing.

"Only the heiress to the largest jewel collection ever." Melvin informed. "Everyone's dying to see her Imperial Crystal."

Imperial Crystal? Could that be the Imperium Silver Crystal we were looking for? But then I remembered Queen Serenity's words: we wouldn't find the Imperium Silver Crystal until we united the Rainbow. And we _definitely_ hadn't united the Rainbow yet.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

"I think it'll be a huge bore." Molly declared. "My mother's making me go. They invited all the jewelry store owners from all over town."

"You could just think of it as patience training." I suggested.

Molly sniggered. "Like _your_ patience training Asagi-chan?"

"Humph."

Later, we all met at the Cherry Hill Temple to discuss the Scouts Swordsmen and Rangers, aside from Molly, were going to get in to the party.

Luna wanted us to be there because she thought this Princess Diamond might be the one of the princesses we were looking for, but then I reminded her that according to Queen Serenity, they were 'hiding in plain sight.' Molly had her way in, but that left the rest of us scrambling for a way in.

"There are only so many of us who can go with you Molly." Moegi said. "Although I think that at least one of us should go."

"How to convince my mom though?" Molly pointed out.

"I have an idea." Moegi declared. "I discovered a new power."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She grinned. "Remember that old movie we watched the other day when you were 'sick?'" She asked.

I nodded. "Baby Geniuses. I remember. What about it?"

"Remember what Sly did to the workers at Babyco?" She continued.

I snorted with laughter. "Which workers? The ones he hit in the forbidden spot with the ski, or the ones he made to chant 'the magnificent Sly and the Bobbins babies have a vitally important errand at Babyco,' and stick their tongues out at the end?"

The others burst out laughing.

"Man I wish I could do that." Jedite said wistfully. "Imagine all the embarrassing things I could do to Neflite . . . wouldn't that be awesome?"

We all rolled our eyes, by now, used to Jedite's rivalry with his 'most hated brother.'

"The ones he made chant 'the magnificent Sly and the Bobbins babies have a vitally important errand at Babyco.'" Moegi replied. "I discovered that I can hypnotize people. Molly, I can hypnotize your mom into believing she told you to invite a friend along. Of course, we'll have to draw straws or something to figure out who goes, but at least one of us has a way in."

"Another few of us could ambush guests and assume their identity." I suggested.

"Good idea. Okay, how many of us are going to do that? There are so many of us. Four Scouts, five Swordsmen and three Rangers. That's," Mica stopped to do a few calculations on her fingers. "Twelve of us. And that's assuming Shion and Shiori don't become Swordsmen, in which case we'd have fourteen of us."

"And the other Scouts don't show up." Ai put in. "Even if it was just the Inners, we'd have sixteen, if Shion and Shiori become Swordsmen."

"That would be a nightmare." Sammy sighed, rubbing his temples. "Sixteen people to sneak into a party we're not invited to."

"We'll figure it out." Roku promised. "Anyway, who's going with Molly and who's going to ambush random guests and take their places?"

"It should be me that goes with Molly, or Asagi." Serena suggested. "Because we're her closest friends. Even hypnotized, Molly's mom would get awfully suspicious if she brought along a friend who hasn't been her friend forever."

"I have an idea." I announced. "Moegi, why don't you hypnotize Molly's mom into thinking she told Molly that if she wanted she could bring Serena and I along. That way, less of us have to ambush random guests, that no one knows of course, and we can get in without having to disguise ourselves. Sound cool?"

"Yeah!" Everyone declared. So for the next half hour, we laid out plans for who would be sneaking in by way of the disguise pen, and who would ambush random guests. Serena and I found a pair of dresses on sale that would work for a big party.

When we got home, we discovered that Dad had been invited to the party. We told him we were going with Molly. He wished us a good time.

Neflite, naturally posing as Maxfield Stanton, asked Molly to dance and despite the fact that they were enemies, she agreed.

I grinned. "She hides it well," I said aloud. "But she's got a major crush on him."

Serena looked at me. "You think so?"

I laughed. "Hell yes I do!"

"Well then that's just more of an incentive to purify him." Serena declared. "Do you remember the words?"

"'I say these words before the shrine of Selene so that the spirit of the moon may hear and approve my choice. We ask of you to break this spell and bring our friend back to who he was. Separate the red from the black and cast the darkness out!'" I recited.

"How do you _remember_ that?!" Serena demanded.

I shrugged. "To be honest with you nee-chan, I have no idea. Anyway, we should check out this Princess Diamond. I doubt she's one of the princesses we're looking for with the hiding in plain sight message and all, but it doesn't hurt to look. Come on."

Serena laughed. "Alright imouto, I'm coming, I'm coming." And with that, we went to investigate the princess that had captured our attention.


	36. Just Keep Looking

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty Six: Just Keep Looking<p>

_Asagi_

Someone spilled punch or some other drink (possibly wine) on Serena's dress, so we had to go clean it off. Luckily, a little spell fixed that. On our way out of the ballroom, I practiced my aura-seeing ability, something I hadn't been doing enough. However, it was too much at once. Because everyone was in good spirits and having fun, their auras were brighter. Recently, I learned that your aura got brighter (not in color, in intensity) when you were in a good mood and dimmed when you were in a bad mood. Basically the brightness of your aura depended on your mood.

Biting back a small cry as my eyes were quickly overwhelmed, I shut off my aura seeing ability. "I wouldn't be surprised if this has morphed into a fully-fledged Dojutsu." I murmured as I rubbed my eyes.

Serena looked at me curiously. "You think so imouto?"

I nodded. "Wouldn't be surprised."

"So why did you have to bite back a cry of pain? I know you imouto." She added as I opened my mouth to object that I did not almost cry out in pain. "Now tell me, or I swear to whoever I'll have Moegi-chan hypnotize it out of you."

I glared. "Oh alright fine." I grumbled. "You know how I can see auras and I wouldn't be surprised if it had morphed into a fully-fledged Dojutsu? People's auras get brighter or dimmer depending on their mood. If there are a lot of excited people in a small space, it hurts my eyes to look at them. Thus, it's not a good idea to practice said ability here, unless it's just the pair of us, or a few other people." I scowled and rubbed my eyes again. "Shall we go see what Molly's up to? Last I knew, she was on the balcony with Neflite."

Serena grinned. "Yeah!"

Sure enough, Molly was out on the balcony with Neflite.

"**Reality check Molly**." I heard her mutter under her breath. "**He's the enemy**."

I raised an eyebrow. "I think she just spoke in Greek. That makes three different, non-Japanese languages our team can speak. Although, you and Sammy and Molly can't speak Latin or Greek on command like I can demonic language."

Serena shrugged as Molly shot us a poisonous glare. We decided to back off and go somewhere else, namely, looking for Princess Diamond. "Been working on it. See? I can speak Latin."

I grinned. "Nice. Anyway, let's go find this 'Princess Diamond' person. Luna think she might be one of the ones we're looking for, but I doubt it."

Serena rolled her eyes. "If Jedite and Luna were here, they'd launch into another argument, no doubt. First Luna would say she might be one of the ones we're looking for, and then Jedite would tell her to look underneath the underneath. Then Luna would point out that she comes from an old line of royalty before Jedite would remind her of Queen Serenity's warning: the ones you seek are hiding in plain sight. Didn't Luna tell us they were sisters, close sisters?"

I nodded. "If that were true, why would they let something like death separate them? Besides, Amy told me a bit of the stuff she dug up on the princess and there was no record of her having any siblings, let alone a sister who she's very close to. Well I don't think we're going to find her until she reveals that jewel, so we may as well go back to the ballroom." I rubbed my eyes again. "Just remind me not to turn on my Dojutsu."

Serena nodded. "Got it." We walked back to the ballroom. "So, you going to name your Dojutsu? You're probably the first one to have it."

I nodded. "I'm going to call it . . . the Reikigan, or aura eye."

I watched everyone dance, bored out of my mind. Now I saw why Molly didn't want to come. I thought something was wrong with Molly (I felt Neflite's power flare and then Molly's), but I decided to put it out of my mind for now and try to figure out a way to activate my Reikigan without being blinded. That is, until a certain friend of mine made his presence known, and his name started with a D. I'll give you three guesses as to who it was, and the first two don't count. Yup, it was Darien alright, though he was disguised as Tuxedo Mask. I sent the barest amounts of chakra to my eyes to activate the Reikigan, just to make sure it wasn't someone else posing as the idiot I called my boyfriend. Good thing for me though, it wasn't. His aura matched Darien's: dark green, like rose stems.

"May I have this dance?" My boyfriend asked as he held out his arm.

I grinned. "And you know it."

"You know I almost didn't recognize you Asagi-chan." Darien commented. "So, what were you scowling and rubbing your eyes about? I thought when you were irritated and thinking hard about something you scowled and rubbed your ear."

I half grinned, half grimaced. "Yeah, I activated my Reikigan, my aura eye and tried to see everyone's auras, but everyone here is too excited so their auras are too bright. It hurt my eyes, so I'm _so_ not trying that again." I explained. "I'm not irritated and thinking hard, I'm just irritated that my eyes are hurting." A crowd gathered to watch us. I glared at them and oozed a bit of killing intent, clearly telling them to _back off._ So they did so.

"You know," Darien commented. "It sure is strange that we've both been having these dreams. Remind me, what did Jedite tell us Queen Serenity said about the princesses of the sun and moon? Wasn't it something about a rainbow?"

I half way shook my head. "Sort of."

Darien raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"The ones we seek are hiding in plain sight, and we would only find the Imperium Silver Crystal once we've untied the Rainbow." I recited.

He nodded. "That's right, now I remember. So, do you think it's this Princess Diamond?"

I snorted. "If Luna and Jedite here, they'd launch into yet another argument about whether or not it was her. Personally, I'm with Jedite." I told him. "Princess Diamond's not hiding anywhere, let alone in plain sight. Besides, the moon and sun princesses were sisters, close sisters at that. I doubt they'd let even death separate them."

However, before I could say anything else, an alarm sounded. I nodded to Darien, and we both ran to see what was going on. Princess Diamond was about to throw Neflite the Imperial Crystal. I doubted it was the crystal we were looking for, but I couldn't take the chance that it was. If the Negaverse got their hands on the Imperium Silver Crystal, that would be beyond bad. That would be the biggest disaster in the history of all biggest disasters, and even that might be an understatement. I nearly snatched the box from her, when she pushed me over the edge. I released a feral growl from the back of my throat and used a bit of chakra to hold on. Darien tried to grab me, but the possessed Princess Diamond bumped into him and nearly sent him over the railing. Luckily, Shion showed up just in the nick of time.

We fell, but we were caught by a cushion of wind. I looked around wildly. No one on the Sailor Team had that ability as far as I knew. However, I relaxed when I saw Shion in Swordsman form. He wore a grey tunic tied with a navy blue belt string. His feet, of course, were bare. He gave us a thumbs up. "Go get 'em Asagi-chan."

I nodded. "Will do Shion." I nodded to Darien and ran off to transform. I grasped my sword, eternally thankful I'd brought it. "Moon Prism Power!"

As I transformed, I cast my senses out. Darien ran after Neflite, who had the chest with the Imperial Crystal in it. Amy stopped him and wanted to know why he was after it, and he replied that it was because if the Negaverse got their hands on it and it really _was_ the Imperium Silver Crystal, the entire universe would be in massive trouble. And then under his breath he added in demonic language that until he got it, he'd never know who he was or where he came from.

I raced to find my friends and assure them that it was just fine, and that they had nothing to fear from Darien, though I didn't mention him by name. Darien leapt away to find Neflite while we took care of Princess Diamond. Luna still thought she might be one of the ones we were looking for. Jedite took this time to get into _another_ argument. I broke it up by saying that if and when Jedite was right he could say he foretell Luna so until he was blue in the face and say it some more until he was purple in the face. He _really_ liked that idea, so he reluctantly stopped arguing and went after the princess, who was trying to gather energy for Neflite. I sighed. Did monster fighting ever end?

Luckily, the Sailor Team showed up just in time. The possessed princess glared at us. "How dare you interrupted my stealing energy for Master Neflite?!" She demanded.

I shrugged. "I guess 'cause we're daring." This only served to piss her off even more. "And you, dumbass, are going down."

She laughed. "That's no way to address royalty you brat." She rebuked. She used the power Neflite infused her with to somehow levitate herself down to near where Neflite was waiting. Ray charged a sutra and threw it at the princess while Shion showed up again and used his wind manipulation to hold her in place. The evil darkness monster thing rose above her.

I took this as my cue. However, before I could throw my tiara, the monster blasted us with darkness, so Amy used her bubbles, and then I threw my tiara. After we blasted the monster (who turned out to just be Neflite), Luna asked if Diamond was one of the princesses we were looking for. She in for a shock. She actually fainted, and probably forgot all about Luna talking. The 'Imperial Crystal' her family had was actually a statue, not the crystal we were looking for.

Molly joined us a few minutes later, looking guilty. "Sorry guys." She whispered. "I'm the one who let the princess get possessed. So, was Jedite right or was Luna?"

I laughed. "Luna was wrong. See for yourself." I waved a hand.

Molly grinned. "Well I guess Jedite gets to say 'I foretold you so' until he's blue in the face, and then say it some more until he's purple in the face." She joked. "Guess we'll just have to keep looking. Though I have a feeling they're pretty close. Just some weird feeling. No idea why."

I nodded. "Guess for now, we'll just have to keep looking."


	37. Weird Feelings

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty Seven: Weird Feelings<p>

_Asagi_

About a week after the Princess Diamond fiasco, Jedite decided to 'poke the sleeping dragons' as he put it, and tease Darien and I until we were so pissed at him that we chased him all across town with our swords. Even if you were a part of the Sailor Team, all you'd see was three blurs, two swords, and one very amusing scene. All anyone else would see is three blurs, two swords, and one very confusing scene.

"I regret nothing!" Jedite shouted, cackling his head off like some stereotypical mad scientist. "Noting I say! Nothing, losers!"

"Get back here you overgrown pest!" Darien and I shouted in unison.

"You'll never catch me!" Jedite declared. After we exhausted ourselves by chasing him for hours until even mine and Darien's stamina ran out, we collapsed against the nearest brick wall.

"Oh that was a good workout." I panted.

"I'll say." Darien agreed. "I just wish it didn't have to be chasing after Jedite for all his non-stop teasing. Does that kid _ever_ run out of energy?"

"Nope." I deadpanned. "So, any more visions from Queen Serenity?"

He shook his head. "No. Not one. It's rather frustrating, because I feel like I should know who the moon princess is at least."

I sighed. "What are you going to do when we find her?" If he said he would start dating her or something like that, then I hoped we didn't find her. Call me selfish, but I liked Darien, a lot, and I didn't want to lose him.

He smiled as if he could sense my fears. "Don't worry Asagi-chan." He soothed. "My heart will always belong to you first and foremost."

The next day after school let out, Molly and I went to the local pool. The others all had things to do before InuYasha-sensei's class tomorrow, so they declined.

It was 'that time of month' for Molly, so she sat on the side of the pool.

However, I tossed her a tampon and shoved her in.

Part of the reason she was sitting on the side of the pool was because she was feeling sorry for herself, about getting possessed by Neflite, her not so secret crush.

She gave me a chilly glare. "What was that for?" She demanded.

"For feeling sorry for yourself." I retorted matter of factly. "Get over it, it wasn't your fault. 'Sides, I know you have a crush on him." I didn't need to say who.

Molly's face turned a brilliant shade of red. "Humph." Was all she said before she raised an eyebrow. "What was Jedite cackling that he 'regrets nothing' about yesterday?"

I sighed. "He decided to 'poke the sleeping dragons' as he put it, and tease Darien and I about getting married until we got so pissed off at him that we chased him all across town, until even our stamina gave out. I don't think that kid _ever_ runs out of energy."

Molly laughed. "You'd probably be right about that." She agreed. "If he evaded you until even yours and Darien's ungodly half-demon stamina gave out, then he never runs out of energy. Must be a weird demigod thing."

I shrugged. "Must be. By the way, if we can corner Neflite, we can purify him." I added. "I still remember the words we used to purify Jedite."

"That's what happened?" Molly exclaimed. "Tell it, tell it!"

I laughed. "Okay, okay. So it goes like this: Jedite, still under Beryl-teme's spell, basically forced us to come to the airport late at night." I began. "Remember when I said I'd be at home reading my latest American fantasy novel?"

"You lied." My friend guessed.

I nodded. "Sensei always did tell me that if I had to lie, use the KISS method."

She raised an eyebrow. "KISS method?"

"Keep it simple, stupid." I replied, grinning. "Anyway, that night I was at the airport, taking on Jedite. We got there and found out that the reason he lured us there was because he wanted to bewitch the planes to run over us and there was nowhere to run. Of course we couldn't just destroy them because then, whether the airport knew it was us or not, we'd be paying for it with our allowances for the next few hundred years. So somehow, we turned the planes on him long enough to distract him. Then Serena, Ai, Amy, Ray, Moegi, Roku and I joined hands and chanted the words 'I say these words before the shrine of Selene, so that the spirit of the moon may hear and approve my choice. We ask of you to break this spell and bring our friend back to who he was. Separate the red from the black and cast the darkness out!' Jedite screamed as a black cloud left him and he collapsed, and then he turned into, well, who he is today."

"Wow!" Molly exclaimed. "I had no idea that was how Jedite went from working for Beryl-teme to fighting for our side. Why was he working for Beryl-teme anyway? Well, I guess what I really should ask is how she spelled him in the first place."

I shrugged. "Basically, she adopted him and his siblings, Neflite, Zoycite, and Malachite. I think she caught them unaware. They're orphans because their dad died, and their moms are all immortal goddesses who apparently can't play favorites."

She blinked. "You had me, and then you lost me. The gods really exist?"

I nodded. "'Cording to Jedite they do. Besides, Serena and Sammy can speak _Latin_, you can speak _Greek_, and Jedite can speak some weird obscure ancient language. On top of that, do you really think their habits would have changed over the past few millennia?"

Molly snorted. "No. Okay, you got me. I guess the gods do exist." She paused. "Race you to the end of the pool and back?"

I grinned. "You're on." I never could resist a challenge.

Our one lap race tuned into a two lap race, then a five lap race, then a ten lap race, until finally, our stamina gave out an hour or so later. Molly won, but only just.

"Nice race." She complimented, sitting next to me in the hot tub to relax.

I grinned. "Thanks. Pretty nice yourself. Since you started training, your stamina is almost on par with mine, and that's saying something. Sensei's a slave driver, but the results really are worth it."

"I'll say it's worth it." She agreed. "I used to be, well, a fangirl and slacker and a wimp. But Sensei beat it out of me. Literally. You know, I have this weird feeling that we're going to find out who the princesses of the sun and moon are pretty soon."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She shrugged. "Just a feeling." She confessed. "I also swear I know them, somehow, but that should be impossible. So, how much did Jedite 'foretell Luna so?'"

I grinned. "'Till he was purple in the face, and then he decided to give Luna a lesson in 'looking underneath the underneath.'"

Molly shook her head. "That is just like him. Anyway, we should get home, we've got InuYasha-sensei's class tomorrow, and there's no way I'm going to be tired for it." We raced home after that to get some sleep. As Molly said, we had training with InuYasha-sensei tomorrow, and there was no way we were going to be tired for it.


	38. The Second and Third Spells Broken

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty Eight: Second And Third Spells Broken<p>

_Asagi_

That very night, Neflite wanted to meet Molly at the park at two A.M. Curious as to what he wanted, I promised to have a soldier pill drink for her after school so that she wouldn't be tired for InuYasha-sensei's class.

That in mind, I went to bed after preparing said drink, Molly's favorite Root Beer. After I was done adding the soldier pills, I used a bit of Jedite's fire (thank the log for Molly's linking ability) to weld the can shut so that it wouldn't be flat when I gave it to her (she hated flat sodas). I also sent Darien an urgent lost to the wind letter, explaining what was going on. He sent a reply back that said he'd send a Shadow Clone to check it out.

The next day I skived school. I wanted to see what Darien's Shadow Clone had discovered. "Well?" I asked impatiently.

He grinned and flapped a hand. "Don't worry, I won't leave out any details." He promised. "It's so obvious that he likes her, and vice versa, which is all the more reason to purify him soon. Anyway, he claimed he was saying goodbye, because some 'really dangerous people' were after him. He also tried to talk her into stealing one of her mom's crystals, thinking it's probably _the_ Crystal, but I doubt it."

"We haven't united the Rainbow yet." I agreed. "I still have to wonder what that means. I'll ask Luna about it later."

He nodded. "Just what Rainbow Queen Serenity is talking about would be nice to know. About the whole steal the crystal deal, Molly said she'd think about it, but I'm not sure if she actually is going to do it or not. If she does, she'll have to be pretty sneaky about it. Sensei won't accept anything less. Anyway, any interesting news?"

I shrugged. "Well, my grandma, my mom's mom is coming. Not sure when."

Darien raised an eyebrow. "What's so interesting about your grandma coming?"

I grinned. "Well, nothing ordinarily. But she's blind, and she's a seer. She knows certain things will happen before they actually do. Actually, not long before I became the Moonlight Warrior, she told me 'soon you will learn more about the moon than you ever thought possible,' or something like that. I think she also sees the past."

My boyfriend blinked. "That's interesting. What makes you think she sees the past?"

"Just some of the things she's said." I shrugged. "She hasn't said as much about the past as she had the future, but she sees it, I think."

"Well then whenever it is she comes over, I'll have to meet her." He announced.

I grinned. "Thought you'd say that. Anyway, I'd better get this to Molly. We've got class today, after all." I waved. "I'll see you later."

I hurried to the dojo as fast as I could; I didn't have a death wish. There was no way in the nine levels of Makai that I was going to be late. On the way, I met Molly. "You got it?" She asked without preamble.

I handed it to her. "Still fresh and fizzled. I welded it shut with Jedite's fire when I was done adding the soldier pills and put it back in the fridge. Then when I took it out earlier I used a cooling spell."

"You sure have gotten good with magic." Molly commented. "So what was Darien doing last night, spying on Neflite and I?"

I grinned. "It wasn't actually Darien. Well, to be exact, it was about half his chakra."

Her face lit up. "Shadow clone!" She realized.

I nodded. "You got it."

"So then, other than the fact that Darien can use chakra, which I imagine _you_ taught him how to use miss sword-blur," My face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "Why is he taking lessons from InuYasha-sensei?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to tell you what I told Ray the last time she was stalking him: look underneath the underneath. So, you gonna steal that gem for Neflite?"

She snorted. "I know it's not _the_ Crystal, but maybe I can manage to put a spell on it to make it _look_ like it is." She grinned evilly. "Boy won't he be surprised when the Imperium Silver Crystal I brought him is a fake."

"Just don't get caught." I warned.

Molly rolled her eyes. "No need to tell me that. Who knows what sort of punishment I'd get if I got caught." She shuddered.

I laughed at her expression. "Sensei would give you the torturing of a century if you got caught." I agreed.

Molly downed her soda after un-welding it in just a few gulps. She sighed. "Well that's a lot better. Okay, no more all-nighters for me. Ready for class?"

I nodded. "Sure am. You ready?"

"I was born ready." She quipped.

"Then let's go."

We hurried inside to see Sensei grilling Jedite. "Jedite," He said. "I heard you were poking a sleeping bear."

"I was _not_ poking a sleeping bear." He huffed indignantly.

Sensei raised an eyebrow. "Are you denying that you were teasing Darien and Asagi about getting married?"

"I wasn't poking a sleeping bear." Jedite claimed again, eyes sparkling with mischief. "I was poking _two_ sleeping dragons!"

We all deadpanned, completely used to Jedite's antics before Sensei turned on Molly. "So Molly, are you going to steal the crystal for Neflite?"

She grinned. "Yes Sensei I am, and I'm not going to get caught. I'm also going to make it look like it's the Imperium Silver Crystal, but I know that it isn't. It's just some ordinary jewel Mom found. Sure is a good thing I erased his memories of me being Sailor Eris."

After Sensei tortured us, Molly stole the crystal and gave it to Neflite, who was oblivious that what his crystal was sensing was their mutual attraction. She made it look like what Luna told us the Imperium Silver Crystal looked like. Zoycite, jealous as she was, came to steal it. This was a prime opportunity to purify them both.

"Ready?" I asked as my fellow Swordsmen joined hands with Serena and I.

"Hai." They chorused. Jedite got hurt by a blast of stray energy from Neflite and Zoycite's duel.

Soon he'd have to undergo Sensei's own torturous brand of patience training.

We took a deep breath and began. "I say these words before the shrine of Selene so that the spirit of the moon may hear and approve my choice. We ask of you to break this spell and bring our friends back to who they were. Separate the green and yellow from the black and cast the darkness out!"

Zoycite and Neflite screamed and roiled in pain as Jedite had. Finally, the darkness flew away, back to Beryl-teme.

I sighed in relief. "Glad that's over with. The second and third spells have been broken."


	39. Truth Or Dare With A Twist

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Thirty Nine: Truth or Dare With a Twist<p>

_Asagi_

We still had to deal with Neflite's dark half, though it wouldn't be for long. Unfortunately, we would still have to deal with Zoycite's dark half and the still unpurified Malachite even when we did beat Neflite's dark half.

Ai wrapped Jedite's injury up good, and extracted a promise from him to, in no uncertain terms, _stay off it._ He grumbled and treated her to a few choice swear words he usually reserved for Neflite, but reluctantly agreed. Soon, he too would have to undergo Sensei's own brand of torturous patience training.

We decided to stage a conversation between Molly and I.

She pretended to be depressed over Neflite/Maxfield Stanton leaving and finding out that he was really a bad guy, and I pretended to try to convince her to get over him. The purified/real Neflite watched, sniggering from the shadows.

Jedite apparently was taking pictures, and if the telltale camera flashes were anything to go by, they were the kind that printed out as immediately.

In Jedite's words; "Perfect blackmail material." Neflite's dark half was nearby, which was the reason we staged the conversation/scene.

Later once we were done, I took the pictures from Jedite, telling him I'd _personally_ ensure he had to meditate for two classes if he showed them to _anyone._

When he cheerfully said he wouldn't show them to anyone, he'd show them to _everyone_, I wrote Sensei a lost to the wind letter asking that Jedite have to meditate for two classes because of his injury. Sensei sent back a prompt response, saying he agreed to my request. Take that Jedite no baka!

Jedite paled dramatically. "How could you be so _cruel_, imouto?" He whined.

I shrugged. "Because you're annoying me." I said unsympathetically. "Now buzz off."

He pouted. "Hai, imouto-sama." He groaned reluctantly.

I grinned. With the right motivation I had Jedite wrapped around my finger. Although, Ai hid him _really_ wrapped around her finger. She said jump, Jedite asked how high.

"Hey Jedite!" The subject of my thoughts called. "What's up?"

"Well," Jedite looked up. When he thought I wasn't looking, he tried to get to his feet. Too bad for him I had an eye on him at all times because I knew he'd try to get up and injure himself more if he could if he could. I pushed him back down without even having to turn around. "The sky is up. And the ceiling's up."

Ai rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean literally. Anyway, what are you two arguing over? You look like you're going to pound him from here to your home planet Asagi-chan."

I smiled sheepishly and told her about the staged conversation/scene between Molly and I, and the pictures Jedite took.

Ai sniggered and agreed with Jedite that they were perfect blackmail material, and wanted to show them to everyone, but I threatened I'd injure her, and then make her undergo Sensei's patience training.

She retorted that Sensei would punish me too, before I shot back that it would be well worth it seeing the two most impatient people in the universe have to do patience training for two whole classes.

A day later, Jedite discovered a new manga turned TV show, called Fullmetal Alchemist. So then he set about trying to use Alchemy without the use of a Transmutation Circle, which was what most Alchemists used to do Alchemy. Kind of like he was still perfecting the art of doing jutsus without handseals.

He was also forever quoting the introduction:

Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth.

That night, Neflite's dark half appeared to Molly and told her the truth. Being a Friday night, Serena and I were having a sleepover (we may be fourteen, or thirteen in my case, but we still liked having sleepovers with our friends), but a quick spell made us invisible and fixed the problem of him seeing us as soon as I saw his aura (a much darker yellow than his purified counterpart's aura). Naturally, we weren't just wasting our time away gossiping, we were practicing our pounded in skills, like our Dojutsus.

So of course, I had my Reikigan activated.

One of the perks of it was that a person's aura darkened slightly in color when they lied, just for a moment, but since I could see it, I figured Molly and Serena could control it.

To put it to the test, we played Truth or Dare.

I got some horribly embarrassing stories off of Molly who chose Truth every time to practice lying and making her aura not darken when she did so.

Every time she lied, I caught her and made her tell the truth, which only made it ten times more embarrassing.

And ten times better blackmail material that I'd never use because of the stories they got off of me (Molly somehow had a Sharingan which despite only having one tomoe, she could still see if I was lying because my body language gave me away). Molly seemed to take no greater pleasure than calling me out each time I lied, or rather I tried to lie, because it _never_ worked. Not once. Serena also got some good blackmail off us.

Anyway, Serena and I activated the Transparency jutsu (we could have just hidden but we were working on activating the jutsu without handsigns because handsigns took too much time) as Neflite's dark half claimed he wanted to join together with the Sailor Team against the Negaverse because she 'opened his eyes,' or something like that.

I nearly burst out laughing, and probably would have, if Serena hadn't clamped a hand over my mouth to keep me quiet. In return I did the same for her as Dark Neflite wanted to know the identities of the Sailor Team.

She claimed she didn't know, because they always disappeared before she could figure out who they were.

I thought I sensed Zoycite's dark half and a few other Nega-trash monsters, but I put it out of my mind as I listened to Dark Neflite's belief system shortened (last week some thug came looking for money from Sensei in exchange for protection from other thugs and said something about his belief system. Sensei wanted to know what belief system shortened was, and Jedite was the first to come up with the answer: BS). When he left, we staged a call and teleported back to our house before running to Molly's house (Dark Neflite didn't know Serena and I were there, so we had to make it look like we'd been at our house the whole time).

Along the way he warped the road. I growled. "That creep's gonna be sorry he messed with me." I drew my sword, which I brought with me when I was packing my clothes for a sleepover at Molly's. "Moon Prism Power!"

"Sun Prism Power!" Serena added.

DN (Dark Neflite) laughed. "Thanks for revealing yourselves to me, Moonlight Warrior and Sailor Sun." He sneered.

I released a feral growl from the back of my throat. "Yo teme, I'm gonna get you, and then you're gonna be sorry you ever messed with me or my friend. Now get over here and fight me like a warrior." I paused. "Or are you too chicken?"

His only response was to shoot a couple of blasts of energy at us. "Take that." He said. I was eternally thankful for Sensei's reflex training as I dodged blast after blast.

However, he backed me against a corner with clones of him on either side, each having a blast ready to incinerate me. "Goodbye Moonlight Warrior." They taunted as they prepared to fire their blasts.

And then, if you'd believe it, the one who had a flair for dramatic entrances (I was gonna give him a lecture about that later) appeared. I'll give you three guesses as to who I mean, and the first two don't count.

That's right it's the idiot I called my boyfriend. I glared at him. "You're late."

"Sorry," He said coolly. "I had to save a drowning fish."

I groaned. "Just get down here and help me out before I make you do the army crawl and put an arrow in your backside every time I see it sticking up."

"With the bow I gave you? You wound me Asagi-hime." He made a dramatic gesture.

Jedite appeared behind me. "_Someone_ has a flair for dramatics." He said dryly. "Remind me to mention that to Sensei next time."

Serena jumped. "Don't _do_ that Otouto!"

"A ninja must be aware of their surroundings at all times." He taunted. "Anyway, are we going to beat up my most hated brother's dark half? Will you let me do it? Please?"

I groaned. "Fine. You have . . ." I looked at a nearby clock. "Half an hour, and if you're not done by then, I'm interfering. Okay?"

He grinned. "Hai Imouto-sama!"

I groaned again. "Just get on with it."

"Yes my liege!" And with that, he turned to face Neflite's dark half.


	40. Dark Neflite Defeated

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty: Dark Neflite Defeated<p>

_Asagi_

For half an hour, Jedite did nothing but beat up his 'most hated brother.' Finally, after half an hour, Darien and I were about to move in before Neflite (his real self not his dark half) rushed up to us and said something about Molly. "We have to go after Zoycite's dark half!" He finished. "I won't let her get hurt because of me!"

He didn't need to tell me he meant Molly.

I blinked. "Um, okay."

Without another word, Neflite dragged us off to where Zoycite's dark half had Molly captive. "Let me go!" She snarled, positively oozing killing intent. Sensei would be so proud of her, especially after the insult that followed it. "You shallow vain fake excuse for an older sister! Your purified self is a lot better than you!"

I whistled, impressed, making my presence known. "You know she's right about you." I taunted. "So, are you going to let my friend go, or am I going to have to make you?"

Dark Zoycite growled at me. "Make me." She said simply.

"Gladly." I returned. I drew my sword, focusing on the shadows, on the power I used to do Shadow Possession or Shadow Strangulation. "Shadow Slash!"

It didn't work.

"Is that the best you've got?" The fake taunted.

I rolled my eyes, sheathed my sword and slung my bow off my back.

I quickly nocked an arrow (I was beginning to think that my quiver refilled itself every time I transformed, though I still wasn't sure how) and fired it. "Go!" I cried, hoping it would work. "Arrow of the Moon!"

However, before it could hit, she dodged it. I nocked another arrow, but Neflite pushed me out of the way. I gave him a 'WTF' look, but he just shook his head. "Zoycite, even if it is her dark half, is my sister. Fate has decreed that it is my duty to face her."

Jedite rolled his eyes. "What's with the 'fate' shit? _I'll_ face her."

I sighed. "Jedite, if you haven't forgotten, it was _Neflite's_ girlfriend who was kidnapped. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to beating up your most hated brother's dark half. We need to get rid of him, remember?"

Jedite scowled. "I'll do it. He's my brother's dark half."

I rolled my eyes. "Fate has decided that you will be the one to face him, or that it's your duty to face him or something like that?" I teased.

My older brother made a face. "Hell no!"

I grinned. "I thought not. Well, same deal applies, but this time, you have fifteen minutes before Tuxedo Mask, Serena and I step in. And Tuxedo, no dramatics."

My boyfriend saluted. "Yes my liege!" He declared, taking a leaf out of Jedite's book.

I groaned. Darien and his theatrics never failed to get on my nerves. "Okay, I'm freeing Molly. Serena, help?"

"Of course imouto." Serena drew her own sword, which she had begun to carry wherever she went like I did, and channeled power up the length of it.

We began to cut at the chains binding our friend.

"Damn it," I cursed. "This would be a lot easier if Shion were here. Wind, the element of cutting, is his specialty."

"So why don't we call him?" Serena suggested mildly. "I'll keep working at freeing Molly while you call him over the communicator."

I nodded. "Got it. Just make sure no one hits you from the back."

"Well then now seems to be the perfect time to reveal something." She ran through the handsigns for the Genjutsu release.

Something changed about her eyes.

It took me a moment to realize exactly what: instead of her usual blue eyes, her eyes had become pupil-less and the veins around her eyes bulged.

"You've got the Byakugan!" I exclaimed. "Why didn't you show it during Truth or Dare? It would have been great for figuring out if I was lying or not."

"A good ninja never reveals all her secrets imouto. The only reason I know about yours is because I was there when your aura seeing ability turned into a Dojutsu. The only reason I know about Molly's is because she chose to show it in Truth or Dare. I decided I'd perfect my Byakugan in battle."

"Sensei's gonna chew you out about it." I warned.

"So?"

I sighed. "Your funeral."

Serena didn't say anything and instead went back to Jyuken-ing the chains that held Molly where she was, unable to transform.

They didn't break, but it gave me enough time to call Shion. "Hey imouto!" Serena called as I waited for the newest Swordsman to pick up. "Hurry up."

"Hai, onee-sama!" I joked, snapping to mock salute before I activate the communicator.

"Asagi-chan?" Shion asked. "What's up?"

"Get your butt over here." I commanded. "Molly's trapped."

"Got it." He said. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I possibly can. Teleport!"

In a flash, Shion was standing next to me. "New ability?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

He grinned. "Yup. Teleportation, as long as I'm in an open air area. My element is _wind_, after all. Not enough air to move through in buildings."

I sighed. "Just get over there and help Serena, okay?"

Shion snapped to a mock salute. "Hai, taicho!" He barked.

I rolled my eyes. "Shion," I warned as I laid a hand on my sword.

He gulped. "Okay, okay, I'm going. Geez Asagi, no need to get so hissy."

I snorted. "Yeah, whatever you say Shion, 'cause I think I _do_ need to get hissy."

And with that he went to work freeing Molly from Dark Zoycite's chains with his sword.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed a few minutes later as I turned back to the monsters. Thank the log for small miracles. Molly raced to join us.

I drew my sword and jumped in the air, focusing all my power into my blade. "Light Slash!" I cried and slashed my sword at Zoycite's dark half and her army of monsters.

The monsters were destroyed, but we had no such luck with Zoycite's dark half.

Dark Zoycite wound up destroying Dark Neflite, which was a good thing for us. Now we only had two generals to deal with.

"We did it!" Molly cheered. "That was a drag though, getting kidnapped."

I rolled my eyes. "Live with it Molly. It's bound to happen again in the near future."

She huffed. "I'm just saying."

I raised an eyebrow before Ray shoved herself between us. "Alright children. That's enough." She scolded. "Just be happy we beat Neflite's dark half."

"Well that's three generals purified, one more to go, and two more dark halves do deal with. Guess we'll just have to deal with them, and purify Malachite when we can." I looked at the rest of the team. "You guys got it?"

"Hai Asagi-sama!" They barked as one. I just shook my head. Some things never changed.

Jedite came running up to us. "I've got another morpher done!" He sang. He held up the newly finished morpher as if to prove his point. Like I cared.

I raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you disappear to?"

"After DN got killed by DZ—"

"You're calling them DZ and DN?" I interrupted.

He huffed. "Yes." He went on to tell me that once he defeated his most hated brother's dark half, he ran back home to complete Mica's morpher, which was now done. He said that since he got a message from Queen Serenity (he forgot about it, making me want to strangle him) who said our team was far from complete and that we would get a new member soon, he figured he'd make every morpher from every generation. He suggested that us Scouts and Swordsman become Rangers. I told him I'd think about it.

For now, I focused on the fact that we finally defeated Neflite's dark half and the real Neflite had been purified, and now we only had two generals to contend with.

Things were looking up.

However, I had no doubt in my mind that they wouldn't stay that way.


	41. Rainbow Crystals

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty One: Rainbow Crystals<p>

_Asagi_

The day after Neflite's dark half was destroyed by Zoycite's dark half, we were running a little late (for once it wasn't Serena that almost made us late, but me, because I was hounding Jedite about getting out of bed) and ran into a group of thugs along the way.

They recognized us from the dojo and demanded we tell our sensei that he'd better pay up unless he wanted them to rob him.

I nearly snorted and told the lead thug that Sensei could beat them all with his eyes shut and one hand tied behind his back.

They didn't take kindly to this and decided they were going to beat us up.

We handled them well enough (being out paranoid ninja like selves, we didn't show our true skills) until a tall, muscular girl with brown hair pulled up into a high ponytail and dark forest green eyes appeared. She finished them off easily. "Now apologize and then move your sorry carcasses." She ordered. They didn't. "That wasn't a request. Beat it."

I grinned. "Nice. What's your name? I'm Tsukino Asagi. These are my siblings, Jedite and Serena. Thanks for the help."

"I'm Kino Lita." She introduced. "Say, do you know my little brother, Dai? He always mentions an 'Asagi,' and usually says something about how she's forever threatening to injure him and make him do patience training, whatever that is, when talking about the classes he goes to at the Dog Demon Dojo."

I grinned. "Yup, I know him alright. He drives me insane, although not as insane as Jedite here." I jerked a thumb at my brother. "Anyway, we should get to school. I'll never hear the end of it if I get a bad grade on our history test just because I was late, especially because history's my favorite subject. Oh I'd get such a lecture from Sensei for that."

I hadn't actually studied for the test, but I had an ace up my sleeve: not long ago, I discovered the Reikigan could create links between good friends, and it even allowed us to share our Dojutsus. I could just use Molly's Sharingan or Serena's Byakugan to copy someone, probably Melvin, and get the answers from what I didn't remember from class.

Besides, it was a pretty good way to work on my ninja skills.

After the test, at lunch, Serena and I decided to go sit with Lita, who was looking rather alone. "Hi." Serena greeted. "You're Lita, Dai's older sister, right?"

"Yeah. I met you on the way to school." She answered.

She offered to share her lunch with us, but we both declined.

We told her that it wasn't because we weren't sure the food would be really delicious, but because we'd probably end up eating it all.

After school, we took Lita to the arcade.

I wanted a bit of sugar (I'd showed her a particularly difficult sword kata Sensei had started me on) and Serena wanted to practice her hand/eye coordination and her reflexes by playing a couple rounds of the Sailor V video games. Besides, we had a meeting at the arcade in less than a half an hour anyway.

I looked around, but Andrew wasn't there.

"Damn," I said. "Doesn't look like Andrew's here today."

"Who's Andrew?" Lita wanted to know. "Your boyfriend or-"

"Actually, it's neither of the above." I cut in, Reikigan active. "More of an older brother. I already have a boyfriend, his name's Darien. Maybe you'll meet him if he's off work and thus is here trying for the Tuxedo Mask or Moonlight Warrior toy in the game machine as usual. Don't know why he goes for those particular toys."

That was a lie. I knew full well why he did, I just wasn't going to tell her.

"How'd you know what I was going to say?" Lita asked, perplexed.

I shrugged. "I'm good at reading people." Code: I had my Reikigan active under one of Molly's special Genjutsus, and your aura was excited about something, which I'm guessing is romance based on the first half of your question.

Serena rolled her eyes at me and my use of code. "Understatement." Code: Only 'cause you had your Reikigan active.

"Hey!" I objected. Code: I'm not that bad!

A lot of what we were saying wasn't actually in what we were saying. We'd worked the code out with Jedite and Sammy a while ago when we wanted to talk about Sailor business, but couldn't do it in a public place without resorting to using a different language, which would make everyone stare at us because we were speaking it.

My older sister raised an eyebrow. "Right. See if I believe you. So, you ready for lessons on Thursday?" Code: We'll see what Sensei has to say about that.

I snorted. "Fine, whatever. And yes, I am." Code: It was his idea to train it, so why not?

Amy, Ray, Molly, Shion, Moegi, Jedite, Sammy, Mica, Roku, Dai, Ai, Neflite, and Zoycite arrived with Luna for the team meeting we were, for once, having at the arcade. I waved goodbye to Lita and sat down at a table with my friends after ordering a vanilla shake and an extra large slice of pizza (I was hungry, having practiced earlier).

Jedite carved one of his new privacy seals into the wooden table (I wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not, since this could be viewed as vandalism and/or destruction of private property and he was still testing them out, but he insisted). It glowed brightly.

"Okay, meeting time." Serena said bluntly. "So Luna, any idea about how we 'unite the Rainbow' so that we can find the princesses who are 'hiding in plain sight?'"

She shook her head. "No, although the Rainbow Queen Serenity mentioned might be the Rainbow Crystals. I just remembered them. I think she might have modified my memory so I don't remember everything, probably to protect the princesses. Anyway, there are seven of them, one for every color of the rainbow. The seven of them together form the Imperium Silver Crystal. Seven humans carry the crystals. Also, I'm pretty sure we'll be getting a new Sailor Scout soon, though when I don't know who or when exactly."

"Helpful." I muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, my memories aren't complete, if you haven't forgotten." Luna huffed.

"You still know more about the Moon Kingdom than we do." Ai pointed out.

Luna sighed. "Okay, good point. I think Queen Serenity might have erased some of my memories to protect the princesses of the sun and moon. I can't even remember what they looked like or what they acted like. Sorry I can't be of more help. However, there is someone I've been watching that I think could be one of them."

"Here we go again." Ray sighed.

"Got that right." Serena agreed, for once.

Luna told us about her latest princess candidate.

I didn't think it was, for the same reasons as last time.

I'd ask Darien about it; he seemed to have some connection.

Lately he'd been having weird dreams about the moon princess.

I figured he just might even be able to identify her, whoever she was.

And yet, I had the strangest feeling that I already knew exactly who she was.

I shook my head to clear them of those thoughts as Luna talked about some wand.

It was called the Crescent Moon Wand, and Queen Serenity was the last one to use it.

Suddenly there was a big commotion over by the game machine. Everyone was crowded-

"Hello, what's going on?" Ai wondered, interrupting my thoughts as the guy playing the machine got another toy and tossed it into a bag with a zillion others. "Is that that guy people are calling Game Machine Joe?"

I nodded. "I'd say it is." He put his hand on the machine and a couple of toys jumped into the grabber. I felt, just for a second, a power flare coming from Joe. I motioned for Ai to follow me after I looked at his aura. "I think we've just found the first carrier. His aura is red, a couple shades lighter than Jedite's." I turned to Serena, who had come to see what we were talking about. "Could you check this guy? I'm pretty sure he's the red carrier."

"Got it." Serena ran though the handsigns for the Byakugan. "Byakugan! Yeah, he's a carrier alright, red just like you thought. Nice work imouto. Let's follow him, and Lita while we're at it. She's gone totally crazy over him, something about her old boyfriend."

I snorted. "Why am I not surprised?"

We trailed Joe for a while, although Lita was nowhere to be seen.

He was really oblivious, having no idea that we were following him.

I tensed as I sensed Zoycite's dark half show up with a new crystal meant to help her find the Rainbow Crystal carriers. Before Zoycite could extract the crystal, I whipped my sword out and ran in front of Joe so fast that I swore just for a second I achieved the same speed as Flash, a character from another one of Jedite's comic books.

There was absolutely no way in all the nine levels of Makai I was going to let Zoycite, regardless of the fact that it was just her dark half, get a hold of the Rainbow Crystals.

So, taking my stance, I prepared to protect Joe from Queen Beryl's minion.


	42. Sailor Jupiter Arrives

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty Two: Sailor Jupiter Arrives<p>

_Asagi_

As I prepared to rush Zoycite, someone did it for me: Lita. It appeared she had a major crush on Joe. "Lita!" I shouted. "Stay out of this, she's part of the people sending monsters, the ones the Sailor Team fight against."

"Then why are you fighting against her?" The older girl shot back.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "_Because unlike you I am part of the Sailor Team._" I grumbled in demonic language because she couldn't understand me."

Lita scowled. "I hate it when you half demons talk in demonic language. I can never understand a word you're saying!" And she just proved my point.

"_That's the point._" I shot back, even though I knew she didn't have a clue what I said. Leaping into the air, I channeled light energy up my blade and slashed it at Dark Zoycite when I had enough energy. "Light Slash!" I managed to deal a glancing blow, but the stupid lousy teme general just shrugged it off.

Lita charged at Zoycite. After managing to land a hit on Dark Zoycite, the stupid evil Rainbow Crystal hunting teme retreated. When Lita tried to make sure Joe was okay, he snapped at her. He said he didn't need us girls swarming all over him or something.

"Well," Serena commented as she leapt down from he bridge where she was watching. "He certainly is an ungrateful grouch."

I snorted. "Tell me about it." I agreed. Luna claimed she felt 'strong forces' coming from both of them. I rolled my eyes and told her that Joe was the Red carrier, and after checking Lita's aura, I discovered that hers was dark green, overlaid with the symbol that represented Jupiter. I guessed she was Sailor Jupiter, because Ray turned out to be Sailor Mars, and her aura was overlaid with Mars' symbol.

"How much do you wanna bet that Sensei will want Joe to come to the dojo?" Serena asked. "I bet you, oh . . . ten bucks and yarp a pellet that he will." Yarp a pellet referred to a certain chore that none of us Tsukino siblings especially liked to do. I declined because I knew Sensei probably would have them come as, nevertheless, we followed our assigned targets: Lita and Joe, and Luna's latest candidate for one of the princesses of the moon. I highly doubted it was, and to be sure, I called the idiot I so lovingly called my boyfriend. He did seem to have a connection with them.

"Well?" I asked impatiently as we trailed the girl. "Is she?"

Darien snorted. "Nope. Definitely not." He thought for a moment. "Don't tell Luna I said that though. Oh boy would she get pissed off at me."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll say." I agreed. "Do you wanna go somewhere? I'm bored, and this girl clearly isn't one of the ones we're looking for."

Darien grinned. "Sounds good to me Asagi-chan." He said. "Got an ideas?"

"Not a one." I admitted. "We could go see the new Sailor V movie."

My boyfriend laughed. "The irony. You saw that one while it was still in progress, right?"

I grinned back. "Sure did. I've got the photos of Neflite while he was still unpurified nearly tearing his hair out 'cause he couldn't figure out why he couldn't get Lori's energy." I grabbed the sealing scroll out of my back pocket and showed him the photos.

We went to see the new movie after we checked on Serena. Apparently the skills that Sensei had pounded into all of our heads was doing no small amount of good for her. Lita was completely crazy over Joe and was following him to make sure he was okay.

"You need us to help you, or have you got it?" I asked.

Serena shook her head. "Nope, I've got it, but I'll call if I do need you. Where will you be anyway? Don't go too far away."

I grinned. "Oh don't worry, I'm going too far away."

"We're going to see the new Sailor V movie." Darien added.

Serena's face slowly broke into a grin. "The irony." She commented. "You know, just to have a little fun and get some training in, you guys should pull a Team Seven in the first movie." She didn't need to elaborate. I knew what she meant.

I smirked. "You know nee-chan, I like that idea. Okay. Why not? Darien?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun." He agreed. "Good training too."

I couldn't help but agree. "Then it's settled. To watch the movie, we'll sneak in and watch it standing from the ceiling. Although unlike in the movie—"

"We're not going to get caught." He finished for me.

About two hours later, we emerged from the movie theater, grinning. "Good movie." I said. "That was awesome, and so worth the risk. Besides, it's good training."

"How much do you wanna bet that Sensei is going to make us both write a full report on the movie?" Darien asked as we headed to where Serena was. "I don't know how he knows all this stuff, but somehow, he knows."

I snorted. "I've long since given up trying to figure out how he does it."

We arrived just in time, because Zoycite's dark half attacked them. She obviously still wanted the Rainbow Crystal Joe was carrying. Unfortunately, like the real Zoycite, she was stubborn and determined when she wanted something.

I looked at Darien, and we both nodded. He grabbed a rose from a sealing scroll and held it up. In a flash, he transformed into Tuxedo Mask. So that was how he transformed. Interesting. Darien turned to me. "Think you ought to transform now?"

I looked around, making sure there was no one in hearing range before I drew my sword. "Moon Prism Power!" I shouted.

Ribbons circled around me. First my tunic, then the belt string, then my mask formed as my bow and as always, full quiver, appeared.

I arrived just in time to snatch the Red Crystal out of the air as Zoycite was about to get it.

Joe clutched his chest as he began to glow red, and then he changed into what I assumed was one of the Seven Shadows.

Zoycite was so furious at me for stealing the crystal.

The monster called himself 'Game Machine Man, champion of the Negaverse.'

I just groaned as I activated my Reikigan.

Joe's aura was now almost exactly like Jedite's was before we purified him. Problem was I had no way to purify Joe (the ceremony required seven magical people, and currently I counted three, possibly four if Lita was magical).

He grabbed me as I sealed the Crystal in a sealing scroll.

Lita grabbed him, threw him, and managed to break his hold on me.

He nearly grabbed me again, but Luna discovered that Lita was Sailor Jupiter just in time. She transformed, and hit Game Machine Man with a blast of lightning. However, it wasn't over yet.

"The only way to stop him is to turn him human again." Luna explained.

I sighed. "And just _how_ do you propose we do that? Even if we did purify him, we'd still have his monster self to deal with."

Luna did a back flip and the Crescent Moon Wand she was talking about earlier appeared and fell into my hands. Made sense. "Take this, and say 'Moon Healing Activation.'"

I raised it above my head and waved it a couple of times. "Moon Healing Activation!"

And then, Game Machine Man turned back into Joe.

Serena breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm glad that's over with."

"You and me both nee-chan, you and me both." I looked at Lita. "You did amazing Lita. Just be warned that now you're going to have to come to the Dojo now and receive InuYasha-sensei's torture with a purpose."

Lita groaned. "Do I have to?" She whined.

"Yes, and that's one of the Golden Rules: no whining. Ever." Serena shot back unsympathetically, surprising me. "It'll only make it worse if you do. And if you admit to things you did wrong, like slacking off or being a fangirl, or not taking the whole saving the world thing seriously enough, he won't make you do pushups until your arms feel like it'd be less painful just to amputate them and laps and squats until your legs feel the same. But if you try to deny it, that only makes it ten times worse. Sensei hates it when people make excuses. And he'll know if you're lying 'cause your heartbeat automatically speeds up when you lie. I've been working on controlling it with Imouto's help, but you, on the other hand, have had absolutely no training to lie right through your teeth and get away with it without anyone being any wiser. We can't let anyone know who we are."

"Why not?" Lita asked, puzzled. "Should we at least tell our guardians?"

I noticed how she said 'guardians' not 'parents' and made a mental note to ask about it later.

I shook my head. "Nope, that'd only put them in danger if they knew." I powered down. "And besides, would they believe you if you did tell them? Would they believe anything you said no matter what you did, short of transforming in front of them?"

Lita sighed. "Okay, I guess you're right. I won't tell." She agreed reluctantly.

I grinned. "Good. Roku will brief you on the rules of the Dojo. You'd better be there, or Sensei will probably come and find you himself. I guess he wants the world's defenders to be competent and confident fighters."

She sighed again. "Alright, I'll come, but I don't have to like it."

"Just don't try to back out." Serena warned. "Now that you're Sailor Jupiter, you've gotta make sure you're in peak condition to beat monsters."

Lita god a sort of deer in the headlights look. I assumed she was going to do exactly that. I shook my head. "Well, anyway, welcome to the team Sailor Jupiter." I turned and began walking back home. "And by the way, I'd bring Joe along next Thursday. Sensei will probably want him to come to the Dojo as well. See ya on Thursday."

And with that, I leapt onto the roof and ran home, Serena and Luna hot on my heels. Luna told me that since I held the Crescent Moon Wand, I was the leader of the team.

Well, I'd see what Sensei had to say about that.

Still, I had a feeling that somehow, having the Crescent Moon Wand was connected to the Silver Crystal and important somehow.

And come hell or high water, I was going to find out why.


	43. Orange Carrier Appears

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty Three: The Second Carrier<p>

_Asagi_

A couple days at school I got a big surprise: Sammy and Mica had made their public debut, because Zoycite had sent another monster to distract the Sailor Team while she collected the Rainbow Crystal, which I had stashed away in a sealing scroll.

That wasn't what shocked me most though. No, what really shocked me was that the aforementioned chibis had taken an advanced placement test and transferred into my class. I cornered Sammy at lunch. "Okay Sammy, you're going to tell me exactly how you managed to pass the advanced placement test and managed to get into _my class._"

Sammy gulped before pretending he just noticed me. "Asagi-nee!" He cried delightedly. "How very nice to see you this lovely fine afternoon!"

I rolled my eyes. "Cut the theatrics." I ordered. "Now are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?"

"No need Asagi-nee." Mica interrupted. "'Cause I'll tell you. We decided it would be easier for us all to get together during an attack if we were in the same class. I'm pretty sure Ray-nee will be transferring into our class too, and Lita-san." She didn't call Lita her nee-chan because she didn't really know her, but only knew what I'd told Sammy.

I grinned. "Not surprising. How'd someone manage to convince Lita to do that? I know she wanted to back out of training."

Sammy snorted. "That was Mica-hime's doing."

"Ooh, Mica-_hime_ is it?" Serena taunted as she came up to us. "Are you two dating already? You're younger than we are!"

"No!" They shouted as one. "We're just friends."

I snorted. "Yeah, right."

"So how did you manage to convince Lita to do that?" Serena wanted to know, changing the subject away from the chibis' love life.

"That was my doing." Mica declared. "I used a Genjutsu on her."

I grinned and rolled my eyes. "Nice."

In class, Ms. Haruna assigned us a few essay questions she wanted us to work on over the long weekend (we had Friday off for a holiday, though which one I didn't remember). I paid little attention to them, gazing over the Molly's seat. She was absent today because her mom wanted her to help prepare for her cousin, who was coming to say with her since he was hanging out with a bad crowd and his dad wanted him to stay with Molly so that he wouldn't permanently ruin his chances of getting into college and getting a good job.

I was more concerned with that weird dream I had last night, about a black haired woman and a blue haired demon who looked startlingly like me (I could tell he was a demon because of his pointed ears; no regular human had pointed ears that I knew of). The only difference were the slash marks on his cheeks. Could he be my birth father?

After school, I went to find Molly to pick her up for InuYasha-sensei's, soldier pill drink in hand. I knocked on the door, three times slowly, which was Sailor Team code for 'it's me, get down here and open the door before I bust it down.' Molly opened the door and grinned. "Asagi-chan." She said. She noticed the root beer in my hand and grabbed it before opening it and downing it in just a few gulps. "Thanks. Time for class, I suppose?"

I nodded. "Yeah, come on. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to be late. No way in all the nine levels of Makai." I leapt onto the roofs and began jumping towards the dojo. "Race you!" I called over my shoulder.

"You're on!" Molly called back. "Mom, I'm going to the Dojo. I'll be back in a while!" A couple roofs away, Molly asked a question I had been anticipating for several weeks now. "So Asagi, is Darien Tuxedo Mask?"

I snorted. "I was wondering when you'd figure it out. I've known ever since . . ." I trailed off. "Did we ever tell you about the Dreamland adventure?"

My friend nodded. "Yeah."

"I found out during that little adventure." I told her. "Ray made a comment about how much he looked like Tuxedo Mask, so I checked his aura." I pushed the doors to the dojo open, noticing that the rest of the team was already there. It seemed Molly and I were the last ones there since she'd been preparing for her cousin's arrival all day. I grinned, noting that Lita was there was well, and to my great surprise, so was Joe. If I was correct, he approached Jedite about becoming a Ranger. Probably thought it was awesome.

"Sorry we were almost late Sensei." Molly said as she bowed. "I've been preparing for my cousin Fakir's arrival all day so Asagi-chan had to come pick me up so that I wouldn't miss class. My uncle, his father, wants my cousin to come here since he's 'well on his way to becoming a delinquent' or at least that's what Mom says."

Sensei nodded. "Very well, but if you're almost late again, I'll having you doing pushups until your arms fall off. Clear?"

She bowed again. "Yes Sensei."

Sensei then snapped and the back wall opened up to reveal a gigantic pool. "Today you're all going to be doing chakra control practice: water walking. When I deem you good enough, you will then move on to whatever I want you to work on. Also, I understand that next week is Guest Speaker week, correct?" We nodded. "Then one of you will invite me, on Thursday of course. I'll stay all day and from school you will accompany me directly to the dojo. Do I make myself clear?" He glared at us, daring us to disagree.

I blinked. "Crystal clear Sensei, but why do you want us to invite you as a guest speaker?" I asked, confused. "Unless you wanted to add more members to the team."

"Not exactly, not yet." He answered. "I was going to make a case for changing the uniform, at least for girls. The skirt is impractical."

"For who?" I wanted to know. "I mean, it may be for us, but how are you going to get them to see that the skirt should be done away with?"

"What if a monster attacked the school?" He pointed out. "The girls wouldn't be able to run away fast enough with the skirts hampering them."

"Oh, I get it, it kills two birds with one stone." Serena grinned. She frowned for a second. "I don't know why I keep wearing skirts. Imouto will you go shopping with me sometime soon? My closet seems to have sad lack of pants."

I grinned. "No problem. It's about time."

After training, I went shopping with Serena and on the way, we stopped by a graveyard where we saw a girl about our age putting flowers on a grave. With Serena's Byakugan, we discovered that it was a woman named Riddle Violet. We would have just went on our merry way except she was a carrier: the orange crystal.

And if that weren't bad enough, Zoycite had beat us there. Oh swell.


	44. A Lot More Complicated

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty Four: The Second Crystal<p>

_Asagi_

Zoycite used her crystal to snatch the Rainbow Crystal, but before I could grab it, it flew away. Orange smoke surrounded the girl. When it cleared, she declared herself to be 'Mobile the Vulture, champion of the Negaverse' or something like that.

_A boxing monster._ I thought with a groan. I probably groaned aloud, although I was too busy dodging punches to notice whether I groaned aloud or in my head. _Oh swell. The one art I haven't practiced since starting torture._

"Too bad there's no one in your corner, Moonlight Dweeb." Dark Zoycite taunted.

I shrugged. "I would have thought you knew my name by now, because I am the half demon swordsman who defends the innocent. When darkness falls and evil preys upon my home, I will be there, poised to strike. I will defend my home and everyone in it. I am the Moonlight Swordsman, the leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Moon, and I'll destroy you because that's a promise by the moon. Believe it!" I added, pumping a fist.

Jedite, who I sensed approaching, smirked as he came up to me. "So I have been rubbing off on you imouto!" He cried delightedly.

I rolled my eyes. "Jedite Jedite go away, bother me some other day." I retorted. "Can't you see we have your sister's dark half to deal with?"

He scratched his head. "Oh yeah."

I slapped my head and lifted my bow off my back before nocking an arrow. "Go! Arrow of the Moon!" I called, letting the rest of the team know to get out of the way. Didn't seem to do much, or even phase Mobile the Vulture-teme at all.

A girl with pointed ears and pink hair with a few licks of green wearing a pink Sailor Scout uniform dropped from the sky and launched an attack of some sort. "Wasn't expecting to land here," I heard her mutter. "But I may as well make the best of it."

She fired a blast of energy at the monster. Although it hit dead center (it seemed to me that she had practiced her accuracy with that attack day in and day seven days a week, no exceptions, out like InuYasha-sensei always had us do), it didn't seem to do much. The monster, Mobile the Vulture, threw a punch at the newest Sailor Scout (where did she come from anyway? It was so weird) and she went flying into one of the headstones.

_That had to hurt._ Was my last thought before Monster-teme threw a similar, but harder it seemed to me, punch and I went flying into the top of another headstone/tower/thing. "Ow." I groaned as I picked myself up. "Okay, maybe Jedite's idea about trading the tunic for spandex and miniskirt for morpher has some merit after all." He'd been bugging us, especially the Scouts, about it for weeks on end. He seemed to think it would make us better fighters or something. Or maybe he just wanted us to share his love (coughs obsession coughs) with the 'best thing since TV.' Taking a moment to roll my eyes at my brother's antics, I drew my sword and slashed it at Dark Zoycite and Mobile the Vulture both, figuring that maybe if I could hit them both, I'd have a better chance of coming away uninjured (Mom and Dad were starting to get awfully suspicious of where we kept disappearing to all the time with almost no explanation). "Shadow Slash!"

Still, Monster-teme managed to come out unaffected and this time, shot a punch at Serena. "Thank you O Log for InuYasha-sensei's torture." She muttered.

"I'll say Amen to that." Jedite agreed. "Call to the beast inside— free the Tiger!" A transparent ghostly red tiger appeared and lunged at Mobile the Vulture. However, like before, it didn't seem to work. I was _really_ getting frustrated.

A new ranger appeared on the scene, a Red like Jedite. "Time to monkey around!" He yelled. Oh yes, it was Joe alright. Ever since he discovered his animal spirit was an Ape a couple days ago (Jedite was training his Ikimonogan, or animal eye, which like the name implied, allowed Jedite to see animal spirits) he'd been making cracks about monkeying around left right and center to no end. "Starting with the boxer-teme." He drew a sword from his back and charged the monster at breakneck speeds. I'd make a comment about typical Red Rangers, but I knew I was no better and did just like they did all the time.

The pair of them and Sammy often liked to joke that I was practically a Red myself when I got onto them about doing stupid stuff. True enough. I charged, intending to stab my sword right through the teme's heart (it wouldn't defeat her, but it might buy me enough time to change her back to normal). However, she blocked me.

I groaned. "Log damn it!" I cursed. "Where's Ai when you need her?"

"I can help." The new girl told me as she picked herself up and dusted herself off. "I can use Chakra chains since Aunt— er, a very good friend of mine who also has that ability taught me to use them after I became a Scout."

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay then. Let's see it."

The pink haired girl nodded, then bent her arm at a ninety degree angle, then jerked it upwards like Ai always did when she used that ability. "Chakra Chains!" She declared, holding Mobile the Vulture-teme in place. "Asagi, go!" I idly wondered how in Log's name she knew _my_ name, especially because I never told her. I'd think on it later.

I nodded. "Right." I twirled the wand above my head a few times to get the dust covering everything before I pointed it at the girl-turned-monster. "Moon Healing Escalation!"

Slowly, the monster turned back into a girl. I could have sworn that just before she passed out I saw the Reaper Death Seal appear on her stomach (I recognized it from Jedite's Naruto mangas), but maybe I was just imagining it and I had just been reading too much Naruto for my own good lately, even if Jedite would claim that was impossible. I'd ask Sensei to check on it once the girl came to the Dojo (there absolutely was no way she was gonna get away with _not_ coming to the Dojo) and go from there.

"Are you okay?" The pink haired Serena look alike asked the former monster.

The former monster girl nodded. "Yeah I'm okay. Sorry that monster hurt you. I really didn't mean to do any of that stuff, but I just couldn't stop myself! I'm Riddle Dove by the way. Who are you guys? You're obviously the Swordsman and the Rangers, right?"

Jedite grinned. "So you _do_ keep up with the news!" He exclaimed delightedly.

Dove rolled her eyes. "Kind of hard not to, seeing as I live alone."

I raised an eyebrow. "You live alone huh? By the way, I have a question for you—"

"If you're going to ask if I'd come to your sensei's dojo, I'll come." She said, surprising me. "What? I have super-senses. I hear you guys talking about it all the time. Torture with a purpose, right? And the O Dreaded Patience Training?"

I grinned. "Yup. He'd probably—"

"Force me to come if I didn't willingly or somehow persuade me to?" Dove finished. "Super senses again. Like I said, I can hear you guys talking about it."

Jedite held out a hand. "Welcome to the team Riddle Dove-san. However, we have more important matters to take care of right now, namely finding out who our mysterious visitor is. Care to explain, Mini Moon-san?" Why Jedite called her that, I had no idea.

"Um . . ." The pink haired girl stalled.

"You're stalling." Jedite warned. "Now tell me who you are."

When she refused, we set Mica on her (the wonders of Genjutsu). We then learned that her name was Serenity, or Rini for short, and she was from the future. Apparently, she was Serena's future daughter, though who her father was she couldn't say as that might mess up the timeline. A friend of hers, Pluto she called her, was testing out a time machine and used it to send her back in time to where she figured Rini would be of the most use, which was a few months after this adventure ended and another one began. However, it appeared that something went wrong, and Rini got sent farther back than she meant to. Then she shocked us all by requesting to join the team and go to the dojo.

I sighed. "Well I have a feeling that things just got a _lot_ more complicated, but nonetheless, I'll be the first to welcome our new members. Welcome to the team, Riddle Dove, Tsukino Rini. May Selene-sama smile upon you and grant you fortune."


	45. Protection For Energy Again

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty Five: Protection For Energy Again<p>

_Asagi_

The day after our fight with Mobile the Vulture-teme, I came into class cursing and limping and swearing, holding various parts of me, namely, my shoulder which I'd most likely tweaked from hitting the headstones so many times.

"_Man that hurts worse than torture with a purpose!_" I complained under my breath in what I swore was Norse. I failed to notice Melvin and his adopted brother Greg's interested looks (Greg was Amy's secret crush). "_Stupid Mobile the Vulture bastard, stupid Negaverse bastards, stupid headstones, stupid injuries, stupid_ stupidness!"

Those of us who were Swordsman and Sailor Scouts were the worst. Jedite and the other Power Rangers weren't nearly as bad. I finally decided that being a Ranger was the best way to avoid situations like this again. In my dreams last night, Queen Serenity admitted that the Sailor Scout and Swordsman uniforms were originally designed for protection against magical attacks. Being thrown to the ground, slammed into a wall, tossed onto a pointy headstone tower, they provided no protection for. Stupid Swordsman uniforms.

"You know imouto," Jedite began when I limped up to him after school. I would have done it at lunch, but I was hurting _way_ too much. "I really think—"

"That's exactly what I'm here to talk about Jedite." I snapped. Call me pissy all you like, but I was tired, injured, sore and in a bad mood. In my mind, I'd earned the right to be pissy. "Look, say what you want, just make me a Ranger, okay? If I get thrown into a headstone again, I'd like to have something that actually _protects _me."

He nodded, all business. "Right. What generation? Samurai?"

I shook my head. "No, they only use their Spin Swords, while we use all different swords. I mean, only Shion actually uses a Katana. Ai has her meat cleaver, I have this," Naturally I showed him my sword. "Roku has his Saxe knife, Moegi has her pointed sword, Dai has his really heavy longsword, and Shiori, when she actually joins us, uses a Tanto, if I'm not mistaken. Besides that, Jaden uses fire, but I'm the leader and I use light and darkness. Even if Sensei decided to keep me as leader, none of them use light and darkness. They only use the basic five: water fire earth wind and lightning." I thought for a moment before posing a question to the Power Rangers nut. "Do they use lightning?"

Jedite shook his head. "I don't remember. I haven't had a whole lot of time to watch lately. I swear, every time even we turn around, trouble's brewing. Ugh. Although to answer your question, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure they don't even use lightning and replace it with wood. Seems dumb to me, but whatever."

"I know what you mean." I agreed. "You'd swear. Speaking of, I got a dream from Queen Serenity last night. I know who the next target is."

Jedite's eyebrows shot up. "Oh?"

"New kid, Greg." I told him. "Yellow carrier. He can see the future, apparently."

"Really?" I nodded. "Interesting. That sure would be a helpful talent, especially considering our luck, or rather the lack of it. So now that you know who the next target is, are you gonna make another deal with that spirit or whatever? Protection for energy?"

I grinned. "Hell yeah I am. It's the chance to get another Rainbow Crystal. One Tuxedo Mask has the other one, I believe." I met Darien again in my dreams last night. "So that makes one for us, one for Tuxedo Mask, and zero for the Negaverse. So far anyway."

"I know who Darien-nii is." Jedite told me. "No need to hide it."

I shrugged. "I figured as much. But someone with too large ears might be listening and I _don't_ want to give away the idiot I so lovingly call my boyfriend's secret identity."

However, before I could say more, a boy about our age dropped from the sky. He had red hair and brown eyes. Jedite frowned. "Rubeus?"

I looked at him. "Who?"

"His name's Rubeus. He worked for the Doom Phantom. He and his family, Diamond, Sapphire, and Emerald live on Nemesis, apparently."

I blinked. "Really?"

"Yup." He then proceeded to explain that the Doom Phantom probably did what Beryl did to him and his siblings to Rubeus and his siblings (like Jedite, Rubeus was the youngest of four; two older brothers and an older sister and the one who had to work for everything since his oldest brother Sapphire was the genius and the legitimate child).

"Sounds a lot like you nii-kun." I grinned. "Bet you two get along famously. Speaking of, have you seen Rini anywhere around here?"

Jedite shook his head. "Nope, I haven't. Though I wonder who she's going to live with. She's a Scout, possibly a Ranger, and saving the world seems to be a family business for all of us." He grinned. "Maybe she'll live with us. She _is_ Serena's future daughter."

I snorted. "Wouldn't _that_ be ironic."

My brother laughed. "Yeah. Anyway, come on. We'd better make sure Rubeus is okay. I'd guess he somehow broke the spell on himself. Weird huh?"

"He was under the same spell as you?" I asked, closing my eyes and checking his aura. He was just fine and wasn't an enemy. "That is impressive if he was. He's definitely safe, according to his aura. Question is, does he want to be part of our team. And also, how in Log's name are you going to create a whole new set of morphers?"

"With Sensei's help." Jedite replied, grinning. "I gave all of the morphers I already made to Sensei and told him exactly how to make them. He's the one who'll distribute them."

I grinned back. "Cool." I looked at Rubeus, who Jedite was somehow managing to carry on his shoulders. "Think we should get him home?"

"Good idea." My older brother agreed.

We somehow managed to drag him home. Luckily, Mom knew exactly what to do and patched Rubeus up in no time. Like Jedite, he had nowhere to go, so when Dad got home, Mom talked it over with him and decided that they would adopt Rubeus like they did Jedite. Well now, with Joe, who they had also adopted, that made four Tsukino boys and only two Tsukino girls. It _sucked_ being outnumbered by boys two to one. How in Log's name they were going to afford this I had no idea, but Mom assured me they'd manage.

Then I pulled out my flute and began to play. _Same deal as last time._ I thought. _Protection for energy. Protect Greg-san and I promise I'll give up all of my energy, or almost all of it, for an entire day._

_Very well Tsuki Hanyo-hime._ The same voice from last time declared. _So be it. You're sure you agree to this? It could very well be worse than last time._

_I agree to this._ I said. _I did it last time so I can do it again. It'll be no problem._ Okay I said that and was all confident but I wasn't so sure. Last time was hard enough, but I felt like I had to do it. What was more important, me being sick or almost for a day or making sure that Rainbow Crystal didn't fall into Dark Zoycite's hands? Obviously, I was gonna choose making sure that Rainbow Crystal didn't fall into Dark Zoycite's hands. Duh.

_So be it then. Be prepared, because in two days, I will take almost all of your energy as I did last time. Be careful, Tsuki Hanyo-hime._

So, preparing myself, I went to tell my siblings. The day after tomorrow was going to be one very rough day, but on the upside, at least it wasn't a Thursday.


	46. Trading Tunic For Spandex

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty Six: Trading Tunic For Spandex<p>

_Asagi_

The next day at school it was revealed that Amy only came in second place on the exams. I didn't do so hot, but I would have done worse were it not for Molly's Sharingan and the Reikigan's liking ability. Thank you O Log for the Reikigan and Molly's Sharingan. Serena and the others did okay as well. My siblings, with the exception of Rubeus who hadn't been in class, did okay enough that we wouldn't get a big scolding from Mom, but we all did bad enough that we'd be under pressure from her to study more. What a drag. I followed Greg to the roof. He told me to be careful around water today and revealed that he had a massive crush on Amy. He thought that she was 'too good for him.' I wanted to know why but he didn't answer.

After that at lunch was when things _really_ got interesting. Melvin of all people came up to me. That was strange. "I know who you are." The glasses wearing genius said bluntly. "Did you know you were speaking Norse this morning?"

I frowned. "Norse? No. Demonic yes, but not Norse. Unless . . ." I remembered my dreams. "Maybe it had something to do with my dreams. But one question Melvin: how in Log's name do you know about that?"

"I can understand any language." Melvin explained. "It comes with being half Saiyan. We don't have our own language, but on the other hand, we can understand any language, whether it's from the other side of the universe or the other side of the country, or even a nearby country. Besides, I'm neither stupid nor unobservant. Ever since the Moonlight Warrior appeared, you've gotten paranoid. I seem to be the only one that notices all the dings and bumps you come into class covered in, cursing in a language only you can speak. Well, you and the other Swordsmen. You're always tired. Your eyes are constantly darting around the room, almost like you expect to be attacked at any moment. You're one of the Swordsmen."

"Well then you're gonna have to come to the dojo." I told him. "Now that you know about us, you're probably one step away from joining us yourself. Besides, I dare not disobey Sensei and he'll surely say that you have to come."

Melvin shrugged. "If he can turn Serena from the crybaby she previously was to the crime fighter she is now, then I'm all for it."

"Great. Just don't be late. One of the ground rules." I told him. "Sensei does _not_ like people being late to his class because it seems like they don't even care enough to be on time. So yeah, whatever you do, _don't_ be late to InuYasha-sensei's class."

"Got it." Melvin said. "By the way, I know my brother Greg—"

"You two are brothers?" I interrupted.

"Well, we're close enough to be but we're not actually related to eachother by blood. Anyway, I know he has the Yellow Rainbow Crystal." He told me. "Could you protect him for that girl, what's her name, Zoycite?"

"One," I said. "That's actually only what's left of a spell that was placed on her by our main enemy Queen Beryl. Two, I already am protecting him, or rather a star is. I made a deal you see: I give up almost all my energy for one day and Greg is protected. We'll still need the Crystal though because it's part of the shattered Imperium Silver Crystal we're looking for. Don't ask me what happened, Luna doesn't remember I guess." My communicator went off. Luna had another harebrained candidate to tail. I told Melvin goodbye and to remember what I said.

After tailing the girl for around a half an hour, and wondering where in Log's name Luna was getting her information from, I decided that she clearly was not one of the ones we were looking for and went in search of my boyfriend.

"_Let me guess,_" Darien said in demonic language once I found him. "_Luna had you trail another harebrained candidate who's clearly not one of the ones we're looking for._"

I grinned. "_You guessed it._" I said in Norse.

He raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you speak Norse?"

"Since this morning." I shrugged. "I was cursing the Negaverse temes and stupid Mobile the Vulture-teme and just about everything and I discovered I could speak Norse."

"_Nice._" He told me. "_Very nice. Say, wanna go to a movie? We could pull a Team Seven in the first movie, like we did at the Sailor V movie._"

I grinned. "_Sounds good._" Then I noticed he was speaking Norse as well. "_Wait, you can speak Norse too? This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Anyway, let's go._"

We saw the movie, wrote our reports (chances of Sensei _not_ finding out: absolute zero) and then went to see Greg. He, like Melvin, knew who we were. He was also half Saiyan, and his Crystal Power (as I called it; Dove's was super senses and Joe's was telekinesis) was the ability to see into the future. He agreed to give up his Crystal willingly when he heard why we needed it: to form the Imperium Silver Crystal, which he had to keep out of the Negaverse's hands. We met another girl, an orphan named Nerissa. I wasn't sure if she was a demigod or a demi demon (no tail, she couldn't be a demi Saiyan). She had long silver and, but what really got me was that she had _pointed ears_ just like mine! She sort of automatically put out this 'you don't see me I'm not here' vive. I felt my eyes sliding over her before I realized exactly what I was doing and they snapped back to Nerissa. "What in the world?" I heard Darien wonder aloud.

I looked at him. "You felt it too?" I asked.

He nodded. "Sure did." He looked back at Nerissa, who was deeply immersed in a conversation with Greg. "It's like my eyes just slid right over her."

"She's not a Carrier." I said after checking her. "Her aura is a dark purple, definitely not violet. It's weird, but it's like she doesn't even notice she's putting out that vive."

"Vive?" Nerissa demanded. "What do you mean by that?"

I looked at her, surprised. "You don't know why people avoid you? Why they seem to take one look at you before glancing somewhere else or their eyes just slide over you?"

She shook her head. "No, though I'm glad they do. I'm a mind reader and empath among other things. Except, when I was younger I didn't realize I was doing it and accidentally answered their thoughts or comforted or confronted them about their emotions."

I smiled. "Oh I see. Don't worry about. Hell, when my friend Roku was younger, he couldn't go more than a few feet without something blowing up. Me, I just heard everyone's conversations and a lot of stuff I wasn't supposed to. Well, and whenever I got mad the shadows and the lights went crazy. I've got powers over light and darkness you see. Anyway, why don't you come home with us? I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind. You have a place to stay? Oh, and if you want to control your powers, I'd recommend that you start going to the Dog Demon Dojo. Sensei will help you control your powers and whip you into peak physical shape in the process, easily."

"Sounds cool!" She exclaimed. "When do I start?"

"Thursday." Darien answered. "This coming Thursday."

My communicator rang. According to Luna, Dark Zoycite was attacking out of frustration since she couldn't get Greg's Crystal. This was gonna be really funny (S-class blackmail material, especially if I took pictures of it!). So naturally, I drew my sword since our morphers sadly weren't ready yet. Jedite still had to blow more stuff up to make them. "Moon Prism Power!"

Ribbons circled around me, forming first my tunic, then my belt, then my mask, as my bow and quiver and my sword all settled themselves on my back. Then I jumped on the roofs and ran to where Dark Zoycite and her monster were blowing things up.

"Why can't I get it?!" She screamed. "Why can't I get the Crystal?!"

I grinned. "Yup, my deal is _definitely_ working." I quickly snapped a few pictures of Dark Zoycite nearly tearing her hair out (prime blackmail material) and then drew my sword. "Oi teme!"

"Huh, who's there—" She spotted me and gave me her best death glare. If looks could kill, I'd be dead right about now. "You." She snarled venomously. "Moonlight Warrior. You're the reason I can't get the Crystal, I know you are!"

"That's right." I agreed cheerfully. "Zoey-chan."

"I'll get you for that!" She snarled.

"We'll see." I said. "You'll just have to figure out how to get the Crystal from me." I smirked. "If you can that is, and I'm not sure you can."

She lunged at me, but I leapt out of the way. "I'll get you!" She screamed.

I scoffed. "Yeah right." I drew my sword and managed to slash her with it. Zoycite totally freaked out and teleported back to the Negaverse through one of those same portals that Jedite used when he still worked for the Negaverse. I sure was glad _our_ Zoycite didn't act like that. Man, that would be a real pain in the rear to deal with all the time.

That just left her monster to deal with, which was easy enough, especially when Nerissa somehow hacked into its mind and took control of its brain. She somehow figured out that _I_ was the Moonlight Swordsman. I put it down to her abilities.

"Asagi, you've only got one chance, so destroy it now!" She ordered, speaking through the monster, probably using her powers to do so.

I nodded. "Okay." I agreed before I jumped high in the air, focusing on the same power I used to do Shadow Possession and Shadow Strangulation. A huge dragon formed as the darkness chakra left my sword. "Shadow Dragon!" Cool, new attack.

The monster, as usual, turned to dust and blew away. Nerissa grinned as she building ran over to me. "That was pretty awesome. As for how I know who you are, your chakra signature is the same. It's possible to mask your signature, but you can't change it. Well, maybe you can, but I can see through it because of my mental powers. Pretty cool, ne?"

I grinned back. "Very cool." I agreed.

Jedite appeared in a column of fire. "Yo! Can I borrow your sword for a minute?"

I eyed him warily. "One, where the hell did you learn to do a Shunshin with _fire_ of all things, and two, why the hell should I give you my sword?"

Jedite slowly raised his hands into the air. "Geez, no need to get defensive imouto."

I glared. "Go away." I huffed.

"Ah, but if I did that, then who would put the finishing touches on your morpher?" He sang.

I blinked. "Huh?" Was my oh so eloquent response.

"That's what I need your sword for." He told me, holding up a jewel that looked exactly like the one in my sword. "I'm just gonna replace that jewel in your sword with this one and make it your morpher. I've got something similar planned for the other Swordsmen and Darien-nii's morphers. So, can I please borrow your sword Asagi-chan?" He put on his best puppy dog look.

I rolled my eyes. "Very well, but I expect it back in three hours. No more."

Jedite grinned. "Oh don't worry, that's plenty of time to get this done. By the way, have you seen Rini since the fight? I know she was going to join the team but I haven't seen her."

I frowned. "Now that you mention it, no. I'll find her." I paused. "Coming Nerissa?"

She nodded. "Coming, but who's Rini?"

I grinned. "Believe it or not, Serena's future daughter come to the past to help out. The person sending her back _meant_ to send her back to a few months from now, not long after her father, whose identity I don't know since she couldn't tell for fear of messing up the future, was purified, but somehow the machine the person used sent her back to the day before yesterday, right in the middle of our fight with a Rainbow Crystal monster called Mobile the Vulture."

We found her a few minutes later and informed her that if she wanted to come to the Dojo, she'd need to join someone's family because she couldn't live on her own. Even if she was capable, it was too suspicious, especially with Rini's hair. She stuck out as much as Serena.

In a surprise move, she told me she'd join the Tsukino family.

Nerissa grinned. "Well then welcome to the save the world team and to the family Tsukino Rini, and may Selene-sama shine her light upon your path and bring you luck in all you do, 'cause I have a weird feeling we're all going to need it." Somehow, so did I.uHuhH


	47. Most Important Thing

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty Seven: Most Important Thing<p>

_Asagi_

As usual, I was dreaming. I wasn't exactly sure why, but I was dreaming of a huge battle on the moon. We were fighting this ugly red haired woman who wore a purple dress who I could only assume was Queen Beryl, the boss of the Negaverse.

"Oi, Beryl-teme," I shouted, confirming my own suspicions. "Why don't you come down here and fight me like a ninja? Or are you too chicken?"

"I'll get you for that!" She screamed and fired a blast of black energy at me.

I quickly dodged.

"Hey losers!" I heard Jedite shout from his place atop Kanmaru, his personal summon. "What has eight legs, no brains, spins around and cries like a baby?"

"Uh, I don't know." Began one monster.

"What?" The other he had trapped in a barrel finished.

"It's you guys!" He and Kanmaru declared in unison as they shoved the barrel down a steep slope. Kanryu then used his flames to roast the barrel and the monsters inside alive.

The Chance Prank. Of course. Only Jedite, Rubeus, Sammy, and Joe would think of using the Chance Prank in the middle of a battle against the Negaverse. Darien stood beside me, personalized sword (a broadsword) drawn, ready to fight Beryl-teme.

On a silent signal, as one, my boyfriend and I charged the ugly red haired teme . . .

And then I woke up. "That was so weird." I complained to myself. None the less, I hurriedly threw on my clothes and grabbed my list of questions. It was guest speaker week, and I had a good few questions prepared. Thanks to Greg's Crystal Power, I knew today's speaker would be trying to make the point that it was all the Rangers' fault that the Negaverse monsters attacked. A few days ago, the Scouts and Swordsmen traded tunic for Spandex and miniskirt for morpher and made our official public debut. I'd even gone back to my park and changed the name on the sign from 'Moonlight Warrior' to 'Element Force Red Ranger,' my new official hero title.

We sat down and the guy started droning.

He never said anything about no questions, so the other Rangers and I proceeded to poke logic shaped holes in his arguments.

I had to nudge my brothers awake a few times (okay, I had to nudge them awake a zillion times), using a bit of chakra to reach all of them.

I was sitting on the right of Rubeus, who was sitting next to Sammy, who sat next to Joe, who sat next to Jedite. On my left was Serena, who was sitting next to Nerissa, who sat next to Rini (like Sammy and Mica, she tested into our class).

The speaker was just _appalled_ that I would have the _audacity_ to interrupt _him_.

After school, Luna talked to us about the fact that Darien kept one of the Crystals. "Are you absolutely sure that he's on our side?" She wanted to know.

I sighed. "Luna, seriously, does it matter whether we have all the Crystals or whether D— Tuxedo Mask has one, as long as they're not in Dark Zoycite's hands? You know he's on our side, Sensei would have spotted him if he was evil, you know that. If he can spot a Negaverse trap, I'm sure he could spot someone _working_ for the Negaverse."

Luna nodded. "Good point."

After that, Molly told us to come see the exhibit with a bunch of paintings from this one really famous painter named Lani Lenai.

I raised an eyebrow. "You've never shown much of an interest in art Molly-nee, why now?"

"Because some of the girls in the paintings look like _you_, you and Serena!" Molly explained.

I sat up abruptly from my leaned back position on the bench. "What?!"

"What?!" Luna echoed thoughtfully. "Let's go see these paintings."

Sure enough, I saw that most of the paintings featured girls that looked like us. In one of them, I saw all eight of us Tsukino siblings, Jedite and I standing in the center, Serena on my right, Sammy on Jedite's left, Nerissa on Serena's right, Joe on Sammy's left, Rini on Nerissa's right, and finally, Rubeus on Joe's left, all of us standing in our respective fighting stances, guards up, identical smirks on all of our faces as if we knew that without a doubt, we'd win this fight.

What the hell?!

Another one showed a scene from my dream last night: Jedite riding his personal summon Kanmaru, pulling the Chance Prank.

The painter even captured that same evilly delighted smile he, and all of my brothers for that matter, wore when they had just pulled off a successful prank or had an evil prank in mind.

How weird.

Next to that painting was one much like the first, but it showed all eight of us Tsukinos and two more: a strawberry blond haired boy with blue eyes and a girl with onyx eyes and black-ish purple-ish hair. Two more Tsukinos, maybe? Well, whatever.

I saw Darien outside when I exited, deciding not to buy one of the paintings (the rumor was probably just a rumor anyway, and I already had a boyfriend). A girl from the exhibit accidentally bumped into him. "It's you!" She exclaimed. "It's you!"

She somehow seemed to know him, which was pretty weird.

Then again, one of the paintings did look a lot like Darien.

"Huh?" Was Darien's eloquent response.

I grinned at him. "Nice Darien. _Very_ nice."

He smiled sheepishly. "Thanks Asagi-chan."

The girl had a very unexpected request for us: she wanted us to model for her. She didn't even mind our swords. In fact, she requested I put a Genjutsu over Darien's so that it looked like a broadsword. I had a feeling that from my dream that would be his personalized sword.

Maybe if he was lucky I'd ask Sensei about it tomorrow after he gave his presentation for Guest Speaker week. On the topic of Guest Speaker week, I made a mental note to track down Serena's friends from before we got into the 'save the world' business and tell them that if they wanted full points, whatever they did, they'd better not ask a stupid question that didn't relate to the topic of the presentation, which was, of course, how to be prepared for monster attacks.

I firmly believed that they should be warned; they were my sister's friends.

The girl's house looked a lot like a painting.

There we saw a lot of paintings that looked like the ones at the gallery.

"Say, Peggy," I began suspiciously. "'Lani Lenai' is just an alias, isn't it? She's actually you."

She gaped. "How did you—"

I shrugged. "Years of looking underneath the underneath." I explained. "Let's just say I've really had to look underneath the underneath since the Rangers' enemy showed up."

After talking for a while as we modeled for her, I got a call from Mom. She told me in what I liked to call 'polite Mom speak' to get my butt back home because Grandma had decided to pull a fast one on us and arrive a few days early. I couldn't say I was surprised; in fact, I was expecting something like this. Call it a Hanyou's intuition or just knowing my grandma, but I had a feeling she would do that. She was almost as unpredictable as _Naruto,_ and believe me _that_ is saying something. I wondered what she would make of Rini, Nerissa, Jedite, Joe, and Rubues.

"Hello granddaughter." Grandma greeted, nodding to me when I arrived home, Darien in tow (he insisted upon meeting her since he wasn't convinced she was a seer). "Darien."

At Darien's startled expression, I cracked up laughing. "You see! I foretold you so!"

A couple weeks ago we went to see a movie called Legend of the Guardians: the Owls of Ga'Hoole, and there was a porcupine thing that kept saying he foretold everything.

Then as the owls were flying overhead, he shouted "I foretold you so!"

So from then on, it wasn't "I told you so!" but "I foretold you so!"

Darien sighed. "Oh alright hime, you foretold me so."

I grinned. "Thank you, thank you." I ignored Dad, who was positively glaring at Darien.

"Beware the Red Beryl," Grandma warned, taking off her sunglasses and looking me straight in the eyes before she looked at Darien. "For she seeks to take away what is most important to you." The only other time she did this was when she told me that soon I would know the moon better than I could possibly imagined, so I was just a little freaked out.

Wait, could that possibly mean that _Darien_ was the thing that was most important to me?


	48. Green Crystal Promise

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty Eight: The Green Crystal Promise<p>

_Asagi_

"Grandma, you make no sense." I told her. "Who's 'the Red Beryl?' And why would she want to take away what's most important to me?"

"In time, you will know." She answered cryptically.

I nearly groaned. "That what you told me last time!" I complained.

"And you found out, didn't you?" Grandma countered.

I sighed. "Yeah, so? It took _months_ to find out!"

"But if I just told you, it wouldn't have meaning." She retorted. "And son, please stop glaring at Darien. He hasn't done anything. Asagi, the Green Crystal Aura is nearer than you think."

Green Crystal Aura? Peggy! The reason she painted those scenes straight out of my dream was because she was the Green Carrier, and she could see the past, unlike Greg who could see the future. What she was seeing was a past life on the moon or something, a thousand years ago.

I nodded. "I get it, for once. Thanks Grandma."

"Not a problem Asagi-chan." She turned to my approaching siblings. "Sammy, Serena. It's nice to see you again. It's very nice to meet you Jedite, Joe, Rubeus, Rini, and Nerissa."

"Nice to meet you too." The five of them chorused, having been warned in advance. How in the world she did that, I still didn't have a clue. It was just one of her quirks, I suppose.

After we got Grandma settled in, I ran back to Peggy's house and checked her to make sure she was indeed a Carrier. She was. "Asagi, I know you're out there." She warned. "Or since this is Ranger business, perhaps I should call you Element Force Red-san."

I shook my head and sighed when she opened the door for me to come in. "Hindsight powers again?" Somehow I wasn't surprised that she knew about that.

She grinned. "Yup, you guessed it." She then did something that had me very interested: she cupped her hands near her chest and out came the Green Rainbow Crystal. "Here. I know you're collecting them so that the Negaverse can't get them."

I smiled. "Thanks. You know you're gonna have to join the team." I warned.

"Great, as long as I still have time to paint." Peggy agreed. "If InuYasha can turn Serena into the seasoned warrior she is now from the crybaby she previously was, I'm all for it. Besides, I _have_ wanted to learn to defend myself for quite a while now."

I grinned. "It's a deal then." I hastily sealed the Crystal away as Dark Zoycite burst in, breaking the window in the process. She had a monster with her, so I hurriedly drew my sword. "Moon Prism Power!" Yeah, I still shouted Moon Prism Power to transform. Thank Jedite.

The monster had a sword, so I drew mine again and we clashed blades.

"Give me the Crystal!" DZ demanded. Yes, I used Jedite's nickname for her. Big deal.

I snorted. "Fat chance. Ugly." If Zoycite was vain, DZ was a hundred times moreso.

"Ugly?!" She roared. "Ugly?! How dare you?!"

Sensei liked to pound it into our heads that in battle we had to exploit an enemy's every weakness, from an old wound to a fear to a personality quirk, like hating being called ugly, or short, or any other possible weakness, so that was _exactly_ what I did.

I knew that Dark Zoycite hated being called ugly more than anything else in the world, and that was her biggest weakness. Without a doubt, her fatal flaw was vanity.

I shrugged. "I guess 'cause I'm daring." I gave DZ my most infuriating smile.

She attacked me, but I drew my sword and battled back. I wasn't sure how long the battle went on before the idiot I called my boyfriend appeared. "Yo." He waved.

"You're late." I deadpanned.

"Sorry," He seemed to grin infuriatingly behind the helmet (yeah, Darien's a Ranger too, the Element Force Brown Ranger). "I had to save a drowning fish."

I sighed. "As I told you before, that is _the_ most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard. Seriously, a _drowning fish?_ Fish don't drown!"

"They don't? Oh, my bad."

I groaned. "Just get down here and help!" I complained.

"Yes ma'am." He replied with a small mock salute.

I made a strangled sound as he drew his sword. "I mean it, if you don't stop fooling around, _I'll tell Sensei_." I looked him straight in the eyes, or at least where his eyes would be.

"Eep!" He squeaked. "Okay, okay. No need to resort to that."

"Would you two stop bantering and fight me?!" Zoycite's dark half shrieked.

I grinned. "Oh, sorry." I said, not sounding it at all. "Brown, shall we?"

He grinned. "Gladly." He agreed.

He leapt down and together we fought off DZ and prevented her from getting Peggy's Crystal, and she retreated with her tail between her legs for now. She'd be back though.

"So," I began a while later, once we were almost back home. "What do you make of Peggy's paintings? They're obviously of the past, a thousand years ago I wanna say."

"Yeah, you and me both. Even weirder, the dreams I've been having seem to match the scenes depicted in the paintings." Darien told me. "What about you? Have you been having dreams, aside from those ones where we meet up I mean?"

I nodded. "I sure have." I sighed. "Almost every night. In fact, I just had one last night." I told him all about it, about dragons that seemed to be summons, and our personal summons at that, we were riding, the Chance prank, and how I now knew what Queen Beryl looked like.

"Now that's really weird. At least I can confirm that that's actually what Beryl-teme looks like." He said. "I've had dreams with her in them, and she seems to pay me an unnerving amount of attention. I don't like it one little bit."

"Yeah, me either. I suppose for now, all we can do is consult Luna and make sure that Sensei knows about these dreams. I wouldn't be surprised if he does. Remember when we went on that cruise, the one he got us tickets for? He was actually spying on our dream." I told him.

Darien smiled and cracked up laughing. "Now that doesn't surprise me." He managed to choke out through his laughter. "Sensei will spy on anything and anyone to make sure that we're doing _exactly_ what we're supposed to be doing."

"Amen to that." I agreed, smiling. "Anyway, it doesn't matter what I have to do, but I _will_ find out what the hell is going on and keep the Negaverse away from the Crystals while I'm at it, and find the Imperium Silver Crystal too. No matter what."

"And no matter what, you'll always have me by your side." Darien added. "I promise."


	49. Inuyasha's Presentation

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Forty Nine: Inuyasha's Presentation<p>

_Asagi_

Today was the day we'd all been looking forward to: the day Sensei gave his Guest Speaker Week presentation. After yet another weird dream involving Beryl-teme and the moon, I hurried to get ready before scrambling out the door. I was by no means late, but seats were first come first serve, and I wanted to get the best seat for Sensei's presentation.

To none of his trainees' surprise, Sensei was already there when we got there, setting up for what promised to be a demonstration that would no doubt be the most interesting of them all. He just looked at us like "You're only just now getting here? I expected you ages ago." Yeah, that was Sensei alright. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

"Hello Sensei." We all greeted, bowing.

He raised an eyebrow. "Brats." He said simply. "I expected you ages ago. You're almost late."

I literally had to bite back a smile. Some things never changed. "Of course Sensei." I agreed instead. "It won't happen again."

He looked as if he knew _exactly_ what I was thinking, but didn't comment as more students came in. Serena and Molly had both made a Shadow Clone from the looks of it and told their friends and Molly's cousin Fakir, the one who had been involved with the gangs so his father was sending him here, to make sure they asked _good_ questions that related to the subject, because they all looked deep in thought and seemed to be muttering under their breaths.

Sensei exited the room for a minute or so before he entered again. Those of us on the left side of the gymnasium stood, bowed and saluted before.

"At ease." Sensei commanded and we settled into parade rest. Then, he gave us the barest of nods and we sat down again.

"Yes Sensei." Those of us who were his students chorused automatically.

What questions they would ask, I was curious to know.

"Alright," Sensei began, not even using the microphone, his voice carrying perfectly over the assembled crowd. "First of all, I'd like to tell all of you that I expect you to ask me a question, and it has to be one that relates to the subject. Should you ask what I consider to be a stupid question, one that has nothing to do with what we're talking about, I will ask your teachers to not give you any points for today. What I'm going to be talking about today is how to be prepared for a monster attack." He looked at the other students, silently daring them with his eyes alone to ask a dumb question. How he did that, I had absolutely _no_ idea. It was just part of what made him Sensei, I guess, and one of those great mysteries in life I'd never figure out.

He then announced we, his students, didn't have to ask a question because anything he could tell us about being prepared we probably already knew. Classic Sensei.

I immediately raised my hand. "Sensei," I began when he called on me. "What can we do to make sure that when, not if, a monster attacks the school, because I've heard rumors that all of the Rangers, or at least most of them, go here even if they haven't been confirmed, to make sure that damages to the school are minimal?"

"Why am I not surprised it was one of you Tsukinos who asked the first question?" He asked rhetorically. "As for what you can do, the best thing would be to evacuate." He left it at that.

Kuri, one of Serena's friends, raised her hand. "I'm afraid I don't understand how simply evacuating would help." She said once Sensei called on her. "What if the monster decided it was going to cause all sorts of destruction and possibly get to the Rangers by destroying the school, even if everyone was already evacuated?"

"The answer to that is simple: the Negaverse, the Rangers' enemy, is after energy. For what, I'm not sure, and though I have heard talk of gathering it for a 'Queen Beryl' and a 'Negaforce' I can't be sure exactly what that means. Furthermore, from what I've observed they're after _human_ energy, the spiritual energy only humans can produce." He explained. "You'll have to figure out what I mean by that on your own because I'm not going to tell you. So while it's _possible_ that they would attack the school even if everyone is evacuated, it's not _probable_."

The next question, coming from Yumiko, another one of Serena's friends, was how long Sensei had been teaching. She said didn't want to know out of idle curiosity (although she probably did a little), but because if he'd only been teaching for a few years or less, then how the hell was he qualified to talk to us about being prepared for monster attacks? A few more people asked him questions, but they were stupid questions, like why do you have dog ears, or what the hell would you know about being prepared. Sensei's killing intent positively _spiked_ at that last question (he came all this way to tell us about how to be prepared and they're questioning what he knows?), and nearly made everyone who wasn't his student lose control of their bladder function or pass out. The same would have happened to those of us who weren't his students except we were all well used to it by now. How could we not be when he only radiated it at us on a daily basis, or at least every single time we had his own special brand of torture.

Thankfully, Molly's cousin Fakir saved the poor fool (and I maintained that he was a poor fool) by raising his hand to ask a question. "Inuyasha-sama," He began. "I've noticed from the many fights the Rangers have been in since I arrived that the Red Rangers seem to be the ones who take charge. What exactly is the significance of the color red to the Rangers?"

Sensei smiled. "You _would_ be the one to catch onto that." He said. "To answer your question, have you seen Power Rangers, the show?" When Fakir shook his head, Sensei explained. "Ever since the very first generation, the reds have been the leaders of the team. They're the ones to take charge and truly _lead_ the team, not just bark orders."

Almost as soon as he finished, Greg raised his hand. "Sensei, hasn't there been an exception?"

"Yes," Sensei answered. "But as you said, it's an exception, which implies it's not the rule."

Someone then asked if he could be a Ranger. Sensei wanted to know what qualities he had that would make him a good Ranger. He started spouting off all of these good things, but it sounded empty, like he was just telling Sensei what he thought Sensei wanted to hear.

Sensei held up a hand to interrupt him and asked if the kid was just telling him what he wanted to hear, or if he really had those qualities. I looked at Sensei briefly for permission and when he gave the barest of nods, just to have some fun, I cast a truth spell on the kid (Luna had been teaching me magic, and the others too but I was just the best at it, so I knew all sorts of spells).

The kid opened his mouth, and predictably, he answered that he was just telling Sensei what he believed Sensei wanted to hear. I smirked a little. Score!

Inuyasha-sensei shot me a tiny smirk and I smiled triumphantly back.

The questions continued and the ones who formed a sort of border between those who weren't Sensei's students and didn't really have any potential to become so all asked a good question. Sensei had this thoughtful look on his face like he was considering taking them as his students. When they asked _two_ good questions, the look changed from 'I might take them as my students and I'll at least give them a few pointers' to 'I'm definitely going to take them as my students.' Interesting. Was it because they were asking good questions?

Well whatever his reason was didn't matter to me. New teammates were always a good thing.

InuYasha-sensei dismissed us for lunch (and the teachers didn't bother to correct him that it wasn't time yet). Again, those of us on the left side of the room stood, bowed and saluted.

"At ease." He commanded again. We settled into parade rest before he gave us an almost imperceptible nod and we hurried outside for lunch.

One thing was for sure: whatever he had planned for after lunch would be the main focus of his presentation today. And I looked forward to it.


	50. Four New Tsukinos

Half Demon Swordsman  
>Chapter Fifty: Four New Tsukinos<p>

_Asagi_

At lunch, I heard Molly's cousin Fakir and his friends, some of whom were Serena's old friends, arguing about who had to do something. Finally, Fakir seemed to reach the end of his rope, because he threw his hands up in the air, proclaiming;

"Alright, fine. _I'll_ do it!"

Inuyasha-sensei just silently raised an eyebrow, as if asking _do what?_

"Now this ought to be interesting." I muttered to my siblings, who nodded in agreement.

"Indeed." They agreed.

"Excuse me, Inuyasha-sama?" Fakir began nervously.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering, what kind of advice you could give my friends and I for training ourselves?"

Both of Sensei's eyebrows shot up. "You've been training yourselves?"

"We didn't want to be useless anymore." Fakir offered by way of explanation.

"I see." Sensei said. "My advice would be to keep at it every day, no matter how hard it is. Also, do as many different exercises as you can, but play to your strengths because your teammates will be able to cover your weaknesses."

Fakir smiled. "Thank you."

So, he and his friends had been training themselves? Interesting.

"Oh, Fakir?" Sensei began.

"Hai?"

"Get your friends. I have something I want to ask all of you."

"Hai."

That question, as it turned out, was what qualities they possessed that would make them effective Rangers. And then he asked what qualities they possessed that would not make them effective Rangers. They listed off more of those than they did the good qualities.

"Thank you. That's all I need to know." Sensei announced. "I'm sure you've figured out by now my role in the Rangers' training."

"Yes, we've figured it out." Fakir spoke for all of them.

He looked at them. "All of you, brats. Come to the dojo later. The Tsukinos will brief you on the rules." He turned his gaze on us, as if _daring_ us to disagree.

The eight of us stood and bowed. "Yes Sensei." We chorused.

"And my other students will make sure they're properly outfitted, _won't you?_"

The others stood and bowed. "Yes Sensei." They echoed.

"Why do you let him boss you around like that?" Someone wanted to know. I ignored them.

"He's that good?" Kuri, one of Serena's friends, wanted to know.

I smirked. "He's better." Was all I had to say, and my statement was greeted with an impressed whistle from Fakir and his band of friends.

When we came back from lunch, Jedite immediately had a request: "Sensei, can we do dodging practice later? Please?" The smirk Sensei gave him did _not_ inspire confidence.

"Well, I think now is as good of time as any to start my demonstration." He said. "The main point of this lesson— excuse me, presentation, today, is to _react_. Whether you get the hell out of the way of a monster attack, or whether you actually do something that will help, it doesn't matter. The point is that if you just stand around, all you're doing is making yourself an easy target for the monsters. A target that the Rangers would have a harder time defending. They have a hard enough time watching eachother's backs. They don't need to have to watch yours as well because you can't be bothered to do something."

"So what would you know about reacting?" Some other poor fool demanded.

Thankfully, Lang, a girl with a violet aura, saved the poor fool like Greg did last time with a question. "And how are you going to teach us this?" She wanted to know.

Again, Sensei's smirk really _didn't_ inspire confidence as he brought out a bag of baseballs. Jedite's eyes lit up as he pulled his baseball glove from Log only knew where.

"With these." Sensei declared. "I'm going to throw them at you as if they were monster attacks, and your job is to dodge them block them or catch them. If you catch them, you have to throw them somewhere else. Jedite, no throwing them at your teammates. Or your siblings." He added when Jedite opened his mouth.

Jedite snapped, clearly disappointed. I imagined he was _only_ too pleased to be able to pelt them at his siblings, because he just loved making us mad. "Yes Sensei." He all but whined.

Sensei gave him _a look_. "You're not whining, _are you Jedite?_"

Jedite hastily shook his head. "No Sensei, of course not Sensei!" He hastily rushed to reassure him. Giving that one of the Golden Rules (which was to say, the written ones) was no whining, if Jedite got caught whining, then he would be in for a world of trouble.

Most people just stood there. However, the 'all of you brats,' Sensei's students, and his students to be, actually did something. Not all of them managed to dodge block or catch, or even take them in what would be a non-fatal spot, but at least they _did something._ After the second and third rounds though, everyone on the left side of the room successfully stopped the balls from hitting them in what would be a fatal spot.

After school we gathered up Sensei's students to be, including the ones he instructed to come to the dojo, and briefed them all on the rules. "Okay, the biggest rule of the Dojo is that Sensei's word is _law._" Nerissa began. "Of course, using your brain, not whining, not being late, and not being arrogant are also big, so make sure you remember that. Also, never ask how bad it can be. Sensei will find out somehow, and he _will_ make it worse. He can always make it worse. Believe me, I've made a mistake very similar to that before."

Jedite, Joe, Rini, Rubeus, Sammy, Serena and I winced in unison. Once Nerissa had complained that something couldn't get any worse (I didn't remember what it was, but at this point I didn't really think it mattered), and then Sensei decided that he'd up the difficulty of the exercise we were doing, leading to her to complain "It just got worse."

"Let's not forget, unwritten rule one is anything goes." Serena added. "And I mean anything."

"Well," Rubeus put in. "Anything short of death or permanent maiming or death anyway, even if it feels like you're going to die or if you'd feel better if you just amputated your limbs."

The eight of us Tsukino siblings traded looks, knowing what Sensei was likely to do to them. Soon enough, our friends and fellow Rangers arrived with various gear that they'd need. Also, when she was going through the temple's weapons, Ray found a reflective bronze dagger that she figured Serena might like, being more of an extreme close quarters fighter. Even Jedite preferred to use a Kodachi, a short sword, instead of tantos or daggers, though he did have numerous knives stashed in various places on his body.

"Thanks Ray." Serena said gratefully. "Won't your grandfather notice it missing though?"

Ray snorted. "With the amount of rust I found on it? Not likely. I actually found it this morning because I had a vision of new Rangers so I decided that I should go through the temple's armory to see if I could find anything that be useful either to them or one of us."

Serena grinned. "Perfect. How much do you wanna bet Sensei's going to have me training with this for the next several weeks until I can master it, no clones allowed?"

"I'm not stupid." Ray told her dryly. "I know better than to bet against one of you Tsukinos. All of you, _especially_ Jedite, have the devil's luck."

I grinned. "Indeed, that we do."

We led the 'newbies' as Jedite insisted upon calling our newest members to the dojo. There, Inuyasha-sensei had something that looked like an obstacle course set up.

After we recited the code/five golden rules, he informed us that we would be running it. Us Reds, which is to say us Tsukinos, were expected to get the best time. In addition, we'd be running the course first. If we didn't make it all the way across the first time, we had to do patience training. A few of the newbies stumbled a bit, but they managed to do fairly well.

Once class let out, I couldn't help but notice a boy and girl about our age. The girl had onyx eyes and black-ish purple-ish colored hair while the boy had brown eyes and reddish blond hair.

The most unusual thing though was that they gave off what I liked to call Red Energy, the same energy all of us Tsukinos gave off.

"Well," Serena remarked, turning to the rest of us. "This is going to be interesting."

"You have something in you." Jedite told the black-violet haired girl bluntly before anyone could say anything else. "And you need it sealed before it takes over you."

I whacked him upside the head. "Haven't I told you it works better if you _aren't_ blunt as a sledgehammer?" I complained, wishing he didn't feel the need to say what he wanted to say, whether anyone else wanted to hear it or now.

And sure enough, the violet-black haired girl started to freak, as they say, the fuck out. "W-what do you mean, something inside of me?"

Rolling my eyes, I cast out with my senses to see if I could figure out what exactly Jedite was talking about, and sure enough, she had a parasite of some sort in her. "A parasite of some kind, but it's weird because it's almost like a Bijuu or something."

"And I can seal it." Jedite announced.

I rolled my eyes. "Well if you haven't forgotten Mister Fuuinjutsu Obsessed, it's not a matter of _can_ you seal it, it's a matter of _may_ you seal it."

"Alright, fine." Jedite complained. "I'm Jedite. Who are you?"

"Hotaru." The girl said, looking at him warily.

"Ichigo, her brother." The reddish blond haired boy added. "And yes, I know we don't look like siblings. We may not be siblings by blood, but we are in every other way that counts."

Hotaru blushed. "Ichi-nii, you give the whole 'we're siblings in every way that counts' spiel to everyone we meet after you tell them we're siblings. Do you really have to give that to everyone? What if they weren't going to comment on the fact that we don't look alike?"

"Well I wasn't." I felt the need to inform them. So what if they didn't look alike? None of us did. Granted, that _could_ be because none of us, with the exception of possibly Sammy and Serena and even then I wasn't too sure, were related by blood.

Ichigo's eyes passed over all of us, taking in our appearances. "You're the Reds, aren't you?" He wanted to know. "The leaders and all that jazz."

I beamed. "You guessed it." I looked him straight in the eyes. "And if you wanted to, you and Hotaru could be too. You guys both give off the same sort of energy that we do." I turned on my Reikigan and looked at their auras. "No wonder. Your auras are tinted red around the outside. Yours is surprisingly bronze, Ichigo, and yours is a steely gray, Hotaru."

"Auras?" Hotaru asked curiously.

I frowned thoughtfully. "Well, it's kind of hard to describe it, to put it into words. But every person has one, and no two look exactly alike. Mine is silver, Serena's is gold, Jedite's is red edged in black, Sammy's is orange, Joe's is crimson, Nerissa's is white, Rini's is pink and Rubeus' is some sort of weird dark red color that kind of looks like a garnet, despite his name."

Rubeus' response was a prompt "Button it and zip it Asagi-nee." I was older than all the rest of us Tsukinos save for Joe, Serena, and Jedite.

I merely snorted. "No. No I won't. So how about it Hotaru, Ichigo? Will you join?"

I was interrupted by DZ and a monster, and a crash from nearby. Looking at my siblings, I dispatched Sammy, Rini, Joe and Nerissa to go check out the crash while Serena, Rubeus, Jedite, and I handled DZ and the monster. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a huge deal to take on.

"Let us come!" Hotaru protested as we all set off.

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay. In that case, Hotaru, go with Rini, Joe, Sammy and Nerissa and check out the crash. Joe, you're in charge. Report back via the communicators if you see or hear anything that might be important and check in every fifteen minutes. If you don't, I'll assume that something has happened to you and come and find you once the battle is over. Clear?"

"Clear. Imouto-sama." And with that, Joe took off running before I could catch him.

I huffed. "Oh, I'll get you one of these days." I turned to Ichigo. "Ichigo, I believe I have the perfect morpher for you." I handed him the Megaforce Ranger Sensei had informed us we would need soon. "I trust you know the incantation?"

"Incantation?" Ichigo asked, eyebrows raised.

I sighed and gripped my sword. "Incantation. Activation code. Whatever. Like this." In a flash, I had it out and raised, shouting "Moon Prism Power!" before taking off in the direction of the monster, trusting that Ichigo did indeed know the activation code/incantation/whatever for his morpher went. Hopefully, he did.

"Let's go Megaforce!" I heard Ichigo shout, followed by Serena's

"Lightspeed Rescue!" Then Rubeus'

"Quantum Power!" And finally Jedite's

"Jungle Beast— spirit unleashed!"

"Hey you, DZ!" I shouted at Zoycite's dark half, who was currently floating above the monster. Not to self: interrogate real Zoycite on how the hell she did that. DZ scowled. She apparently _did not_ like the nickname. "Betcha tenner that my team can kick your team's asses from here to the moon and back, no sweat, any day of the week."

"I'll show you!" DZ screamed before descended to the ground and tried to kick me.

"_A kick is inherently unstable._" I heard Sensei's voice in my very first real, serious, not holding back spar with him, years and years ago. "_Upset their balance._" Quickly, I ducked under the kick and grabbed DZ's leg and hurled her to the ground.

"You'll have to try harder than that." I taunted.

She ran at me with a punch.

"_A punch thrown at a run carries with it a large amount of momentum. Note the way the shoulders lean forward, ahead of the body. Disappear,_" I heard Sensei's voice again, from that very same spar. "_Then move in._"

I side-stepped, effectively stopping her before I moved in and decked her and then disappeared again, just as Sensei taught me.

"Hold still damn it!" DZ growled.

"_An angered opponent is never in control. For your part, you can't give any clues that might hint about what you're going to do._"

An idea struck me. With a chakra propelled leap, I launched myself into the air and then used Dark Zoycite as a springboard. Using the momentum I gained from jumping off of her, I managed to carefully angle myself and my sword so that I faced the monster.

Controlling my free fall with chakra gave me just enough time to coat my blade with the light and darkness energy that I controlled so perfectly.

"Twilight Sword Spear!" I shouted, making up a name for the technique on the fly.

Jedite ran at it, hands enveloped by flames. He punched the monster a few times before jumping back and firing the flames like a cannon or something. "Fire Fist Cannon!"

The monster disintegrated. DZ cursed up a blue streak and beat a hasty retreat.

My communicator went off. "Hey Asagi, where are you?" Joe's voice demanded. "I've been calling you for the past half hour but you didn't respond."

I shrugged, although I knew he couldn't see it. "Monster and DZ, sorry. What's the news?"

"Well . . ." He began. "I think we might have two new members. Mom and Dad are not gonna like this. Think we should maybe make a plan in case a parental confrontation does happen?"

I rolled my eyes. "Duh. Haven't we already been doing that?"

"Button it and zip it." He snapped. "And get your butt over here. The potential new Tsukinos are leaking Red Energy like Ichigo— uh, Kurosaki Ichigo that is— leaks Spirit Energy."

Rolling my eyes again, I wordlessly went through the handsigns for the Shunshin (Body Flicker), using Joe, Nerissa, Sammy and Rini's chakra as a focus. Once I got there and made sure no one else was around, I de-morphed so that no one saw the Element Force Red Ranger with a group of civilians and there was no monster around (that was just asking to get discovered).

"Alright, so who're the new members?" I demanded. Joe jerked a thumb at a boy and girl who looked to be only slightly older than Rini and Sammy.

"I'm Populan." The boy introduced himself. Taking a good look at him, I noticed that he had dark greenish colored hair with just a little fringe of a color that appeared to be orange or something similar, brown eyes, and oddly shaped ears.

"And I'm Amaterasu." The girl added. She had red hair pulled up into a weird sort of ponytail. Chances were, Sensei was going to tell her that it would have to go. A) it was too noticeable, and B) it would probably get in the way. She also had red eyes the same color as her hair.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Tsukino Asagi. So, has my idiot brother here ("Hey!") told you what the eight, now ten, of us are?"

"Red Rangers." They chorused. Then, grinning at eachother they added "Everything's our fault."

I snorted. "True, that. I'm surprised you two know that."

"Joe took it upon himself to teach us the Red Ranger Creed." Populan explained. "'_To be a Red is to inherently have something to say. No matter how much you may think something is all your fault, chances are it's not. It's not. Finally, to be a Red is to protect the whole team no matter how much you may wish certain members weren't part of the team or that you didn't have to protect them. And above all, not everything is your fault._'"

I burst out laughing. "Who're you kidding, Joe? We all know that we Reds _will_ blame ourselves for everything that goes wrong, whether it's our fault or not."

Joe sighed. "Alright, alright, so it's true." He turned back to our four potential new recruits. "So, you four interested in joining the ranks of the Reds?"

The four exchanged glances. "We'll do it."


End file.
